Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi is expected to travel to Washington in the coming days for his first visit to the United States since taking office, as his government pushes for broader international recognition.
The trip comes months after Israel became the first UN member state to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent country in December 2025. Abdullahi subsequently visited Israel in June, meeting President Isaac Herzog and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, while Somaliland also opened an embassy in Jerusalem.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has operated for decades with its own government and institutions, but remains unrecognized by most of the international community. The upcoming Washington visit is expected to give Somaliland an opportunity to make its case for U.S. recognition directly to the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump previously said he was not yet prepared to recognize Somaliland and wanted to study the issue. Somaliland, however, holds significant strategic importance because of its location on the Horn of Africa near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and major Red Sea shipping routes.
Israel and Somaliland have already moved to deepen cooperation in security, agriculture, water, health and economic matters following the establishment of formal relations.
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