President Donald Trump said he opposed US recognition of Somaliland in an interview with the New York Post published Friday, after Israeli Prime Minister and prominent Trump ally Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would become the first country to recognise it.
“No,” the president told the Post when asked about US recognition of Somaliland, adding: “Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?”
Somalia and the African Union reacted angrily Friday after Israel formally recognised the northern region of Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” — the first country to do so.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has for decades pushed for international recognition, which has been the key priority for president Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi since he took office last year.
But a Somali foreign ministry statement warned the decision was a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty that would undermine peace in the region. Several other countries also condemned Israel’s decision.
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