Somaliland Welcomes First Israeli Ambassador, Testing Horn of Africa Balance

Last week, Somaliland, a region that declared independence from Somalia in 1991, welcomed its first ambassador from Israel, according to a report published by the South China Morning Post. The report, by Khushboo Razdan, describes the move as a deepening of ties between Israel and Somaliland.

Somaliland’s main port, Berbera, sits a few hundred kilometres from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow waterway that carries about 10 to 12 per cent of global trade. The report says that Somaliland’s position near the strait is now set to shape the balance of tension in the Red Sea and Horn of Africa. Where regional tensions run high, the call to be peacemakers still applies (Matthew 5:9).

The same news page also carries a separate item reporting that China and Djibouti jointly reaffirmed Somalia’s territorial integrity and emphasised the importance of freedom of navigation. That item is distinct from the report on Israel’s ambassador and does not state how either government views Somaliland’s status.

The report describes the Israeli ambassador’s arrival as a test of the regional balance in the Horn of Africa.

Source: Read the original report