Ryan Prosser
Published December 27, 2025
METRO UK
Reports suggest Trump is not interested in acknowledging Muslim-majority Somaliland
Donald Trump has indicated he is not yet prepared to fully recognise Somaliland.
On Friday, Israel broke ranks to become the first state to formally support the breakaway republic.
Somaliland is located on the Horn of Africa and shares borders with Djibouti to the north, Ethiopia to the south and west, and Somalia, from which it has broken away, to the east.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to bring up the subject during his scheduled meeting with the US president on Monday.
However, the New York Post reported Trump was not interested in acknowledging the Muslim-majority state.
‘Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?’, he is quoted as asking at his West Palm Beach golf course.
Donald Trump has indicated he is not yet prepared to fully recognise Somaliland.
On Friday, Israel broke ranks to become the first state to formally support the breakaway republic.
Somaliland is located on the Horn of Africa and shares borders with Djibouti to the north, Ethiopia to the south and west, and Somalia, from which it has broken away, to the east.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to bring up the subject during his scheduled meeting with the US president on Monday.
However, the New York Post reported Trump was not interested in acknowledging the Muslim-majority state.
‘Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?’, he is quoted as asking at his West Palm Beach golf course.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first world leader to formally recognise Somaliland on Friday (Picture: Reuters)
Somaliland, a former British protectorate, has offered to join the Abraham Accords, which comprises Arab nations that have normalised relations with Israel.
It has successfully held democratic elections and is viewed as a stable entity, in contrast with unstable Somalia.
It has also extended an offer of land for a possible US naval base in the Gulf of Aden in the Red Sea.
However, Trump seemed largely dismissive of both suggestions. He remarked, ‘big deal’ and added that all proposals were ‘under study’.
‘I study a lot of things and always make great decisions and they turn out to be correct,’ he said.
Somaliland, a former British protectorate, has offered to join the Abraham Accords, which comprises Arab nations that have normalised relations with Israel.
It has successfully held democratic elections and is viewed as a stable entity, in contrast with unstable Somalia.
It has also extended an offer of land for a possible US naval base in the Gulf of Aden in the Red Sea.
However, Trump seemed largely dismissive of both suggestions. He remarked, ‘big deal’ and added that all proposals were ‘under study’.
‘I study a lot of things and always make great decisions and they turn out to be correct,’ he said.
Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi has been the president of Somaliland since 2024 (Picture: Reuters)
The president further suggested his talks with Netanyahu would be dominated by the situation in the Gaza Strip rather than other affairs.
Among US proponents for Somaliland is arch Trump loyalist Congressman Scott Perry, who has submitted an act to recognise the nation.
A former British protectorate, Somaliland gained de facto independence from its civil war-torn neighbour in 1991.
While it enjoys strong relations with neighbouring Ethiopia and some Arab nations including the UAE, other countries in the region advocate against its independence, including Egypt and Turkey.
The president further suggested his talks with Netanyahu would be dominated by the situation in the Gaza Strip rather than other affairs.
Among US proponents for Somaliland is arch Trump loyalist Congressman Scott Perry, who has submitted an act to recognise the nation.
A former British protectorate, Somaliland gained de facto independence from its civil war-torn neighbour in 1991.
While it enjoys strong relations with neighbouring Ethiopia and some Arab nations including the UAE, other countries in the region advocate against its independence, including Egypt and Turkey.
EU backs Somalia’s unity after Israel's Somaliland recognition
The EU said it encourages meaningful dialogue between Somaliland and the Federal Government of Somalia.
The European Union has said respecting Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity is “key for the peace and stability of the entire Horn of Africa region,” following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state a day earlier.
In a statement on Saturday, the bloc said it “reaffirms the importance of respecting the unity, the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” in line with its constitution and the charters of the African Union and the UN.
The EU said it “encourages meaningful dialogue between Somaliland and the Federal Government of Somalia to resolve long-standing differences.”
The recognition of the Somaliland region by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is against international law, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said.
“The illegal aggression of PM Netanyahu in recognising a part of Somalia’s northern region is against international law,” Mohamud wrote on X.
“Meddling with Somalia’s internal affairs is contrary to established legal & diplomatic rules. Somalia & its people are one: inseparable by division from afar,” he added.
Israel became the world’s first country on Friday to recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state, drawing condemnation from Türkiye and countries in Africa and the Middle East, among others.
The EU said it encourages meaningful dialogue between Somaliland and the Federal Government of Somalia.
The European Union has said respecting Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity is “key for the peace and stability of the entire Horn of Africa region,” following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state a day earlier.
In a statement on Saturday, the bloc said it “reaffirms the importance of respecting the unity, the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” in line with its constitution and the charters of the African Union and the UN.
The EU said it “encourages meaningful dialogue between Somaliland and the Federal Government of Somalia to resolve long-standing differences.”
The recognition of the Somaliland region by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is against international law, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said.
“The illegal aggression of PM Netanyahu in recognising a part of Somalia’s northern region is against international law,” Mohamud wrote on X.
“Meddling with Somalia’s internal affairs is contrary to established legal & diplomatic rules. Somalia & its people are one: inseparable by division from afar,” he added.
Israel became the world’s first country on Friday to recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state, drawing condemnation from Türkiye and countries in Africa and the Middle East, among others.
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