Hundreds rallied in Somaliland’s capital Hargeisa on October 14, AFP reported, celebrating US President Donald Trump having called the breakaway republic “a totally different country” from Somalia, from which it declared independence 35 years ago.
To date, only one country – Israel, in December 2025 – has recognised Somaliland. Although Washington has given no sign that it is moving to follow suit, officials from the Horn of Africa territory heralded Trump’s characterisation, made at a rally two days earlier, at which he accused Minnesota’s Somali community of widespread fraud.
“I call it Somalia land, not Somaliland, because actually it’s a totally different country,” Trump said, adding: “I think they should change the name immediately.”
Somaliland’s Minister of the Presidency, Khadar Hussein Abdi, was among the first to proclaim it a watershed moment.
“For the first time in history, a sitting U.S. President has publicly acknowledged Somaliland as a country separate from Somalia,” he wrote on X. “We remain hopeful that formal U.S. recognition of the Republic of Somaliland is on the horizon.”
Somaliland’s foreign ministry said it “warmly welcomes US President Donald J. Trump’s acknowledgement of the Republic of Somaliland as a distinct country”, adding that the de facto republic has its own constitution, democratically elected government and foreign relations.
The presidency’s official account was more restrained, saying the remarks “underscore Somaliland’s distinct identity and its separate political reality”.
Israel moves first
Since declaring its independence in 1991, Somaliland has maintained its own government, currency and security forces. When Israel became the first country to recognise its statehood, nearly a year ago, Trump said he had no plans to do the same.
“Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?” Trump told the New York Post, adding: “We’ll study it.”
Israel’s recognition followed a mutual declaration signed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Irro, which Netanyahu’s office said was made “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords”.
Analysts have pointed to the potential strategic security and military value for Israel (and potentially the US) of having Somaliland as an ally on the Gulf of Aden opposite Yemen, from where Iran-aligned Houthis have staged attacks against Red Sea shipping and Israel.
See IntelliNews: Israel saw a Red Sea security dividend in recognising Somaliland. Then the Houthis captured Perim
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud alleged that Israel’s recognition was linked to plans for a military base in Somaliland and the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza. Hargeisa denied agreeing to either condition, although Irro later told The Economist he would offer Israel and the US base access at Berbera if they were interested, while insisting: “There is no Israeli or American presence yet.”
Ties have since deepened. Israel appointed an ambassador to Somaliland in April, and Irro made the first state visit to Israel by a Somaliland president in June, after which Somaliland opened an embassy in Jerusalem. The African Union’s Peace and Security Council has called for the “immediate revocation” of Israel’s recognition, condemning it as a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The State Department’s formal position has not changed: a report to Congress published in June reaffirmed “the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Somalia, while also stating that the US “maintains a positive, constructive relationship with Somaliland and continues to explore additional opportunities for engagement with Somaliland authorities”.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who has urged Trump to recognise the territory since August 2025, citing its strategic location and its ties with Taiwan, responded to Trump’s remarks this week on X, saying: “President Trump is exactly right.” Mogadishu had not commented by October 15.
Minerals, bases and troops
Hargeisa has tried to win Washington over with commercial and security offers. In February, Khadar said Somaliland was ready to offer the US exclusive mining rights, prompting Mogadishu to counter with its own offer of a military base and access to critical minerals. During his first US visit as president in September, Irro pitched recognition at the Hudson Institute and told Semafor he would consider expanded US military access, including a possible base.
In an interview with Breitbart published on October 11, Irro said Somaliland was “already in discussion with the United States on cooperating with counterterrorism” and described Berbera, the Gulf of Aden port operated by Dubai-based DP World, as “a viable port that can handle large containers as well”. He has also said Somaliland could contribute up to 2,000 troops to the proposed International Stabilization Force for Gaza if Washington or Israel asked, although no request has been made.
See IntelliNews: Somaliland offers to deploy 2,000 troops to Gaza International Stabilization Force
See IntelliNews: Somaliland ready to offer US exclusive mining rights in push for international recognition, says minister
See IntelliNews: Somalia offers US military base and critical minerals access, countering Somaliland proposal
Recognition of territorial claims vs independence
Trump’s previous recognition decisions have backed existing states’ claims to contested territory rather than the independence of a separatist entity. The US does not recognise the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, for example, or Georgia’s Russian-backed breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Its recognition of Kosovo dates from 2008, under President George W. Bush.
Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017 and moved the US embassy there in 2018, while leaving the boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in the city to negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
In March 2019, Washington recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed by Israel in 1981. Most of the international community does not recognise the annexation, and the UN regards the territory as occupied Syrian land.
In his second term, Trump has considered territorial recognition as part of negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. A US proposal in April 2025 envisaged formal recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, while a draft plan published by Axios in November 2025 stated that “Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk will be recognized as de facto Russian, including by the United States.”
Neither proposal has resulted in formal US recognition. Ukraine has rejected territorial concessions that would legitimise Russian annexations, and US-led negotiations have continued, although neither side has confirmed that the energy ceasefire Trump announced on October 11 is operational.
See IntelliNews: Trump’s energy ceasefire announcement raises more questions than answers
Western Sahara: Africa’s test case
In Africa, Trump recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in December 2020 – reversing decades of US reluctance to endorse Rabat’s claim – as Morocco agreed to normalise relations with Israel. The territory has been disputed since Spain withdrew in 1975: Morocco controls most of it, while the Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks independence for the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
African support for Rabat’s position has grown. Mali endorsed the autonomy plan and withdrew its recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in April. Ghana had withdrawn recognition in January 2025, and Kenya endorsed the plan that May. More than 20 countries, mostly African, have consulates in the Moroccan-controlled territory. Unlike Somaliland, however, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a member of the African Union.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the recognition in April 2025, and the US, as penholder, drafted UN Security Council resolution 2797 of October 31, 2025, which stated that “genuine autonomy could represent a most feasible outcome”. The resolution strengthened the role of Morocco’s autonomy proposal in UN talks but did not recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the territory.
The US convened talks between Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria and Mauritania in Madrid and Washington in February, but differences have not narrowed, according to Security Council Report. The mandate of the UN mission in the territory, MINURSO, expires on October 31, with a renewal vote due this month.
See IntelliNews: UN Security Council backs Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara