Somaliland Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Hagi, back when he was his country’s representative in Taiwan, Oct. 11, 2020. Credit: Presidential Office of the Republic of China via Wikimedia Commons.
Hargeisa, May 17 (Horn Diplomat) – Ambassador Mohamed Hagi, Somaliland’s first ambassador to a foreign country, is scheduled to present his diplomatic credentials to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday in a landmark diplomatic ceremony reflecting the rapidly expanding ties between Somaliland and Israel, according to the Israeli President’s Residence.
Hagi previously served as an adviser to Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro and played a leading role in shaping relations between Somaliland and Israel.
The ceremony follows Israel’s formal recognition of Somaliland on Dec. 26, 2025, making Israel the first country to officially recognize Somaliland since it restored its statehood in 1991 following the collapse of Somalia’s central government.
The diplomatic relationship has continued to deepen in recent months through high-level contacts and discussions focused on maritime security, trade, technology, infrastructure and regional cooperation.
Israeli officials have increasingly described Somaliland as an important partner in the Horn of Africa because of its strategic location along the Gulf of Aden and near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s busiest maritime trade corridors.
Somaliland has maintained its own government, security forces, currency and democratic institutions for more than three decades despite limited international recognition.
Analysts say the exchange of ambassadors between Somaliland and Israel represents a historic diplomatic breakthrough that could encourage broader international engagement with Somaliland and reshape regional diplomatic dynamics in the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region.
(Reporting by Mohamed Duale; Editing by Horn Diplomat Desk)
