JERUSALEM, June 16 — Somaliland and Israel have signed a wide-ranging cooperation agreement covering security, economic development and investment, marking a significant deepening of ties between the two sides.
The agreement was signed on Monday by Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Cirro, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to officials from Somaliland.
The accord provides for cooperation in the fields of security, agriculture, water management, technology, investment and broader economic development. The two sides said they would work together to strengthen defence coordination, expand the use of modern technologies in agricultural production and water purification, and encourage Israeli companies to undertake major investment projects aimed at boosting Somaliland’s infrastructure and economy.
President Cirro is currently on a five-day visit to Israel, during which he also inaugurated Somaliland’s diplomatic mission in Jerusalem, a move that drew sharp criticism from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The developments are expected to have implications for the geopolitical landscape of the Horn of Africa, with analysts anticipating strong reactions from Somalia’s federal government and other regional actors.
Israel formally recognized Somaliland in December 2025, paving the way for closer diplomatic and economic engagement between the two sides.
Israeli officials have not publicly detailed any plans regarding a military presence in Somaliland. However, regional observers have long speculated that Israel’s strategic interest in Somaliland is linked to its location along the Gulf of Aden near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a vital global shipping route that has become increasingly sensitive amid attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement.
The agreement represents one of the most significant diplomatic breakthroughs for Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has sought broader international recognition for more than three decades.
