Sunday June 14, 2026
Hargeisa (HOL) — Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro is expected to travel to Israel on Sunday in what would be the first visit by a Somaliland president to Israel, according to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
The report said the visit would include the opening of a Somaliland embassy in Jerusalem, following Israel’s reported recognition of Somaliland.
The schedule also includes a visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial, before meetings with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and leaders of Israeli economic institutions.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the most important meetings of the visit are expected Monday, when Irro is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
The reported trip comes amid rising tensions between Mogadishu and Hargeisa over Somaliland’s pursuit of international recognition and its growing ties with Israel.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud recently described Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a “trap,” saying Somaliland would not achieve broad international recognition through ties with Israel.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has operated with its own government, security forces and election institutions. Somalia’s federal government rejects Somaliland’s claim to sovereignty and says the region remains part of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
