S'porean man holidaying in Somaliland witnesses celebrations as Israel suddenly recognises the self-declared republic as independent state

A Singaporean man's holiday in Somaliland took an interesting and unexpected turn: He suddenly found himself right smack in the middle of mass celebrations in its capital Hargeisa.

This was after Israel emerged as the first country to recognise the self-declared republic Somaliland as an independent state.

Speaking to Mothership, Shane Wang, 42, said he arrived in Somaliland for the first time on Dec. 24, 2025 while on a solo trip.

Somaliland is to the east of Ethiopia and north of Somalia.

Good mood

"This is part of my Horn of Africa plus Middle East trip: Djibouti, Somalia (Mogadishu), Somaliland, Eritrea, and later Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Lebanon, before flying home," he said.

He added that while in Hargeisa, he met a Norwegian traveller whom he knew from a previous trip.

Wang, who teaches music, said the mood was "extremely positive" in Somaliland, adding that the crowd was filled with people of all ages, who were "clearly delighted".

He came to know of the celebrations on Dec. 26 at around 5:30pm Hargeisa time (10:30pm Singapore time) as the news broke on Al Jazeera.

Locals immediately started gathering at the Hargeisa War Memorial, next to where his hotel was located.

"People were shouting and cheering, many waving the Somaliland flag and dancing," said Wang, adding that the crowd included mostly young adults aged about 17 to those aged about 60.

It was "quite a sight", he said, as there were fireworks, dancing and shouting all the way until midnight when the police arrived to disperse the crowd.

Wang said: "I was clearly a foreigner walking around the streets, and people came up to me to give high-fives and hugs."

"You could see the happiness on their faces," he added.

Besides Hargeisa, Wang also visited Laas Geel, which is more than an hour's drive away from Hargeisa, noting that he was an "obvious non-local" throughout his trip and was interviewed by three different news outlets.

Wang said one of the interviews was about the people in Somaliland struggling for independence and being recognised.

He added that he could clearly tell the people were happy, but he knows "there are more political issues behind it".

Noting that he is leaving Somaliland soon, Wang said he felt excited to be among the crowds during the celebrations and added that he would visit Somaliland again because of its amazing food and friendly people, "but probably not in the near future".

Formally recognised

The mass celebrations on the streets came on the heels of Somaliland, an autonomous region that broke away from Somalia decades ago, being formally recognised by Israel as an independent nation.

Israel is the first country to do so, Reuters reported, adding that Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the declaration "is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, signed at the initiative of President Trump".

Netanyahu, on Dec. 26, 2025, via X, announced "the official recognition of the Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state".

Expand relations

"Together with Foreign Minister Sa'ar and the President of the Republic of Somaliland, we signed a joint and mutual declaration," Netanyahu added.

He said Israel plans to immediately expand its relations with the Republic of Somaliland through extensive cooperation in the fields of agriculture, health, technology, and economy.

Warmly welcomed

In response, Somaliland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X that the "historic and principled decision" is warmly welcomed and deeply appreciated.

The statement added that in response to this recognition, "the Republic of Somaliland hereby expresses its firm intention to accede to the Abraham Accords".

"Through this declaration, the Republic of Somaliland further affirms that this recognition gives rise to the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the Republic of Somaliland and the State of Israel," the statement read, adding that both governments will proceed to deepen cooperation across "a broad range of sectors, guided by the principles of mutual respect, friendship, and shared values".

Declared independence

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, BBC reported, adding that Somaliland has recently been at the centre of several regional disputes involving Somalia, Ethiopia and Egypt.

In addition, Somalia has never accepted Somaliland's independence, according to Al Jazeera.

Opposed

However, this move to recognise Somaliland by Israel has drawn international rebuke, The New York Times reported.

It reported that Somalia's government criticised the “unlawful step” by Israel and said Somaliland was “an integral, inseparable, and inalienable part” of Somalia.

U.S. president Donald Trump said in response to Israel's recognition that he will not quickly follow Netanyahu in recognising Somaliland's independence, according to New York Post.

In addition, Türkiye and Egypt have condemned Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state, according to Türkiye Today.

Top photos via Shane Wang