{"id":2525603,"date":"2025-12-27T17:14:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T22:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-is-somaliland-trump-pours-cold-water-on-recognition\/"},"modified":"2025-12-27T17:15:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T22:15:44","slug":"what-is-somaliland-trump-pours-cold-water-on-recognition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-is-somaliland-trump-pours-cold-water-on-recognition\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Somaliland? Trump pours cold water on recognition"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhat-is-somaliland-trump-pours-cold-water-on-recognition%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2525603&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President donald Trump said he is not prepared to recognize Somaliland as an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-admits-al-qaeda-is-in-afghanistan-after-biden-said-group-was-gone-last-year\/\" title=\"White House Admits Al-Qaeda Is in Afghanistan After Biden Said Group Was Gone Last Year\">independent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-legislature-introduces-first-in-nation-resolution-to-protect-against-democrat-court-packing\/\" title=\"Arizona Legislature Introduces First-In-Nation Resolution To Protect Against Democrat &#039;Court Packing&#039;\">sovereign state<\/a><\/a>, reversing an earlier, more open comment and ultimately answering &#8220;no&#8221; when asked. His cool response came after Israel became the first U.N. member to formally recognize Somaliland, signing a mutual declaration with Somaliland&#8217;s president that paves the way for ambassadors, embassies and cooperation on agriculture, health, technology and economic ties. Somaliland &#8211; a former British protectorate that declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has been a de facto, largely self-governed entity for more than 30 years &#8211; has long sought recognition and has supporters in the U.K., Ethiopia and Taiwan. Proponents point to Somaliland&#8217;s record of elections and its strategic Gulf of Aden ports (which Trump dismissed as a &#8220;big deal&#8221;), and some U.S. lawmakers have introduced legislation to recognize it. Somalia, the African Union and others condemn israel&#8217;s move as a threat to Somalia&#8217;s territorial integrity and regional stability, while the EU urged a diplomatic resolution of disputes between Somaliland and Somalia.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">What is Somaliland? Trump pours cold water on recognition as sovereign state<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2455896\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> said he is not prepared to recognize Somaliland&rsquo;s status as an independent and sovereign state after <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\">Israel<\/a> established diplomatic relations with the breakaway republic in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/somalia\/\">Somalia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>When asked by the <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/12\/26\/us-news\/trump-not-ready-to-embrace-somaliland-independence-unlike-netanyahu\/\">New York Post<\/a><\/em>  about recognizing Somaliland on Friday, Trump appeared to say &ldquo;not at this time&rdquo; before he simply changed his answer to &ldquo;no.&rdquo; He also raised a point that Somaliland is not widely known.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4362821\/zelensky-suggests-russia-is-planning-to-interfere-with-referendum-on-trump-peace-plan\/\">Zelensky suggests Russia is planning to interfere with referendum on Trump peace plan<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4362840\/russia-attacks-kyiv-missiles-drones-ahead-of-ukraine-us-talks\/\">Russia attacks Kyiv with missiles and drones, killing 1 and wounding many ahead of Ukraine-US talks<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4362782\/thailand-cambodia-peace-agreement-trump-pushed-ceasefire-broke-down\/\">Thailand and Cambodia reach new peace agreement after Trump-pushed ceasefire broke down<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Similar in name to Somalia, the Republic of Somaliland declared independence from the East African nation in 1991 and established a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-risch-biden-admin-tolerance-of-terrorists-is-obscene\/\" title=\"Sen. Risch: Biden admin. tolerance of terrorists is \u2018obscene\u2019\">de facto government<\/a> after fighting in a civil war. Somaliland was previously under British control when it gained independence for the first time in 1960.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4362775\/trump-first-year-report-card-promise-keeper-or-nightmare-failure\/\">TRUMP FIRST YEAR REPORT CARD: A- PROMISE KEEPER OR &lsquo;NIGHTMARE&rsquo; FAILURE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For over 30 years, the predominantly Muslim state has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israel-becomes-first-un-country-to-recognize-somaliland\/\" title=\"... becomes first UN country to ...\">lacked international recognition<\/a>. That changed on Friday when Israel became the first member of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/united-nations\/\">United Nations<\/a> to recognize Somaliland.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli Prime Minister <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/benjamin-netanyahu\/\">Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> and Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa&rsquo;ar together signed the historic agreement with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdallah. The agreement paves the way for the appointment of ambassadors and the creation of embassies in both states. Additionally, both parties will collaborate in the fields of agriculture, health, technology, and economy.<\/p>\n<p>Netanyahu <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/netanyahu\/status\/2004554522283131310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2004554522283131310%7Ctwgr%5Ef841e2b49b763702282fa10c5a8a46775f40d55a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F4362115%2Fisrael-first-un-country-recognize-somaliland-abraham-accords%2F\">announced<\/a> the joint, mutual declaration of Somaliland&rsquo;s independence and sovereignty was made in the &ldquo;spirit of the Abraham Accords.&rdquo; The statement was apt given Somaliland&rsquo;s desire to join the Abraham Accords, the Trump-brokered agreement that normalized relations between Israel and four Arab nations in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Netanyahu said he will communicate this desire to Trump when the two world leaders <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4362030\/trump-sights-peace-progress-netanyahu-zelensky-meetings\/\">meet at Mar-a-Lago<\/a> on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Trump dismissed the topic when he said his meeting with Netanyahu will prioritize the next phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gaza\/\">Gaza<\/a>. However, he said his administration will review a potential decision to recognize Somaliland.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Everything is under study,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll study it. I study a lot of things and always make great decisions, and they turn out to be correct.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The president took a step back from his more optimistic statement on Somaliland in August.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4362818\/byron-york-questions-military-involvement-nigeria\/\">BYRON YORK QUESTIONS US MILITARY INVOLVEMENT IN NIGERIA<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking into that right now. Good question, actually,&rdquo; he said at the time. &ldquo;And another complex one, as you know. But we&rsquo;re working on that right now &mdash; Somaliland.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>His latest response shows he is not in lockstep with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\">Congress<\/a> on the issue. Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), along with five other Republicans, is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-bill\/3992\/cosponsors\">sponsoring legislation<\/a> to recognize Somaliland as a &ldquo;separate, independent country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Arguments <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/beltway-confidential\/3818286\/trump-somaliland-united-nations-speech-new-york\/\">in favor of recognition<\/a> rest on Somaliland&rsquo;s three-decade-plus record as a democratic state that regularly elects leaders. Also, Somaliland&rsquo;s location on the Gulf of Aden is of strategic importance to the United States and its mission in combating Somali pirates.<\/p>\n<p>When asked by the <em>New York Post<\/em> about Somaliland&rsquo;s offer of a port on the key body of water, Trump shrugged it off. &ldquo;Big deal,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Somaliland has allies in the United Kingdom, Ethiopia, and Taiwan. But Somalia stands in strong opposition to its independence, claiming Israel&rsquo;s recognition of Somaliland directly undermines Somalia&rsquo;s autonomy and risks destabilizing the Horn of Africa region.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Somalia makes clear that it will not permit the establishment of any <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >foreign military bases<\/a> or arrangements on its territory that would draw Somalia into proxy conflicts or import regional and international hostilities into this region,&rdquo; the Somali prime minister&rsquo;s office said in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sntvnews\/posts\/1404211991745403\/\">statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4362115\/israel-first-un-country-recognize-somaliland-abraham-accords\/\">ISRAEL BECOMES FIRST UN COUNTRY TO RECOGNIZE SOMALILAND: &lsquo;SPIRIT OF THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS&rsquo;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The 55-member African Union <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricanUnionCommission\/posts\/the-chairperson-of-the-african-union-commission-rejects-any-recognition-of-somal\/1298302032327465\/\">also rejected<\/a> Israel&rsquo;s decision, maintaining the Republic of Somaliland &ldquo;remains an integral part&rdquo; of the Federal Republic of Somalia.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the European Union <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eeas.europa.eu\/eeas\/israelsomalia-statement-spokesperson-territorial-integrity-federal-republic-somalia_en\">expressed support<\/a> for Somaliland to resolve &ldquo;long-standing differences&rdquo; with Somalia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump won&#8217;t recognize Somaliland&#8217;s independence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2525604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-collage-0k98v1py6-1766870236444-e1766870388677.jpg?1766852366&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[32319,11177,55471],"class_list":["post-2525603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-donald-trump","tag-recognition","tag-somaliland"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-collage-0k98v1py6-1766870236444-e1766870388677.jpg?1766852366&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2525603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2525603"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2525603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2525607,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2525603\/revisions\/2525607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2525604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2525603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2525603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2525603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}