Israel has become the first country to formally recognise Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent nation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel intended to immediately expand cooperation in agriculture, health, and technology. Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, called the development “a historic moment”.

Recognition by Israel could encourage other nations to follow suit, increasing the region’s diplomatic credentials and access to international markets.

Somalia’s prime minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, said his country categorically and unequivocally rejected what he called a deliberate attack by Israel on its sovereignty.

Abdullahi said in a statement that Somaliland would join the Abraham Accords, in what he called a step toward regional and global peace.

Somaliland was committed to building partnerships, boosting mutual prosperity and promoting stability across the Middle East and Africa, he added.

The decision has been condemned by the foreign ministers of Somalia, Egypt, Turkey and Djibouti, who in a statement affirmed their “total rejection” of Israel’s announcement.

The two countries had agreed to establish “full diplomatic ties, which will include the appointment of ambassadors and the opening of embassies”, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in a statement on X.

“I have instructed my ministry to act immediately to institutionalise ties between the two countries across a wide range of fields,” he said.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s foreign minister held separate phone calls with his counterparts in Somalia, Turkey and Djibouti to discuss issues including Israel’s declaration.

In a statement, Egypt’s foreign ministry said the four countries reaffirmed their support for Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and warned against unilateral steps that could undermine stability or create what they called “parallel entities” to Somalia’s state institutions.

They also argued that recognising the independence of parts of sovereign states would set a dangerous precedent under international law and the United Nations Charter.

The statement added that the ministers reiterated their rejection of any plans to displace Palestinians outside their homeland.

Israel has for years been trying to bolster relations with countries in the Middle East and Africa, but recent wars including in Gaza and against Iran have been seen as a hindrance to democracy.

Historic deals struck late in Trump’s first term in 2020, known as the Abraham Accords, saw several countries including Muslim-majority United Arab Emirates and Morocco normalise relations with Israel, with other countries joining later.

Somaliland has a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden, and has its own money, passports and police force. Born in 1991 after a war of independence against former dictator General Siad Barre, it has grappled with decades of isolation ever since.

With a population of almost six million, the self-proclaimed republic has recently been at the centre of several regional disputes involving Somalia, Ethiopia and Egypt.

Last year, an agreement between landlocked Ethiopia and Somaliland to lease a stretch of coastline for a port and military base angered Somalia.