Somaliland announced that it is in diplomatic talks with the U.S. administration and Ethiopia, while it wants to get an international recognition, according to President, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilahi Irro. In an interview with 124NEWS, while the President was on a five-day historic visit to Jerusalem on June 18, 2026.
President Irro explicitly articulated that Hargeisa has open relations with U.S. President Trump’s administration, stating that U.S., Ethiopia, UAE, and Kenya are among countries that Somaliland’s foreign policy is giving a top priority.
He pointed out that the recognition that Israel granted to Somaliland in late 2025 is part of the ongoing efforts that Somaliland wants to strengthen its international presence. He disclosed that Hargeisa has already opened its embassy in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Somaliland is offering Israel opportunities related to the port of Berbera, which is an important trade route in the Horn of Africa.
President Irro has strongly refuted the notion claiming that Somaliland is an integral part of Somalia, which is seeking to secede, but he strongly argued that Somaliland was an independent country prior to merging with Somalia-Italia in 1960 to form the greater republic of Somalia. Conversely, he stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that Somaliland signed with Ethiopia on January 1, 2024, which was related to access the sea and political cooperation.
However, he disclosed that the agreement has not been implemented due to the pressure by the African Union (AU), and the talks between Ethiopia and Somalia held in Turkey, which subsequently resulted in the announcement of Ankara Declaration.
The family of Idiris Adan Rage, who is Somaliland’s representative to Yemen, said that he has been in captivity since June 13, 2026, while there has been no official communication or information about his whereabouts and condition as published on the Al-Cairo website.
According to his family, Idiris Adan Rage, is an official representative, who had legal documents to carry out his duties, which according to the family’s argument, gives his case a diplomatic dimension that requires transparency and official details.
So far, the Yemeni authorities have not issued any statement explaining the reasons for his arrest, or the legal measures taken against him, which has raised concerns and questions about his condition.
The family of the official, who was said to have been arrested, called on the relevant authorities to disclose his whereabouts and to allow him to contact his family, requesting that the matter be handled in accordance with the law and the humanitarian principles.
