Map: PCL

The statement also rejected potential linkage between the recognition and “any attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people out of their land.”

This statement followed a joint declaration signed one day earlier by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, making Israel the first country on earth to recognize Somaliland. As part of the deal, Somaliland is expected to recognize Israel under the Abraham Accords. US President Donald Trump brokered the Abraham Accords in his first term, seeking to establish diplomatic ties between Israel and Arab nations.

Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in May 1991, during a period of conflict unleashed by the fall of the long-ruling Siad Barre dictatorship. Despite having its own government and currency, Somaliland had not been formally recognized by any nation as an independent country until Israel did so. According to analysts from the Council on Foreign Relations, Somaliland’s claim to independence stems in part from being a “relatively stable democracy” that “is attracting major foreign investors.” In contrast, Somalia, despite having an internationally recognized government, “hasn’t been a functioning country in decades.”

Other countries around the globe have also expressed their disapproval of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland. Notably, despite the Trump administration’s failed proposition earlier this year for Somaliland to take in Palestinians from Gaza, the US State Department announced Dec. 27 that Washington will continue to recognize the territorial integrity of Somalia, “which includes the territory of Somaliland.”

The EU also issued a statement emphasizing its disapproval of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, saying that it threatens peace and security in the African region. The statement concluded with a call for Somalia’s government to resolve the long-standing dispute with Somaliland.

From JURIST, Dec. 28. Used with permission.

See our last report on the contradictions of the Abraham Accords.

See also our podcast, Somalia in the Great Game

Map: Somalia Country Profile

The comments came despite weeks of pressure from human rights advocates urging Trump to confront the crown prince over Saudi Arabia’s recent grave abuses, an incomplete list of which is said to include record numbers of executions, torture of dissidents, systematic repression of women, and the killing of hundreds of Ethiopian migrants at the Yemen border.

Human rights groups have also documented prison sentences for social media posts (such as the case of Salma al-Shehab), enforced disappearances, and widespread abuse of migrant workers under the kafala sponsorship system. Several young men who were minors when arrested remain at risk of execution.

Human Rights Watch pointed out that Trump’s meeting with bin Salman came just five months after Saudi authorities executed journalist Turki al-Jasser, who had been arrested for social media posts critical of the regime in 2018 and charged with “high treason.” Executions in Saudi Arabia are carried out by beheading with a sword.

At a press gathering following their meeting, Trump described the crown prince as an “extremely respected man” and a “very good friend of mine,” adding: “What he’s done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else.”

When a reporter asked about US intelligence conclusions that the crown prince orchestrated the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump dismissed the question as coming from “fake news” and said the Saudi leader “knew nothing about it.” The president described the late journalist, who had been critical of the crown prince’s policies, as “extremely controversial,” saying “a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman.”

The crown prince took a less defensive approach to the question, saying that Khashoggi’s death was “painful” and “a huge mistake,” and claiming Saudi Arabia has improved its safeguards to prevent similar incidents.

From JURIST, Nov. 18. Used with permission. Internal links added.

Photo of Mohammed bin Salman’s 2017 White House visit via Wikimedia Commons

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In October, around 60,000 Sudanese escaping the escalated fighting in Darfur arrived in Chad, which is facing a resource shortage due to its increasing refugee population, now at over 1.1 million. The refugees there face an overwhelmed healthcare system, scarce food, and no education for their children who have already been out of school for two years.

Another country that has been impacted is Egypt, now host of 1.2 million new Sudanese refugees. UNHCR found that Egypt has gone above and beyond its means to provide safety for people who flee, education for their children, and the right to work and start new businesses.

The agency also commended the efforts by Ethiopia, Uganda, the Central African Republic and Libya in supporting the displaced Sudanese. It reported that Ethiopia is setting up integrated settlements with the help of donors, bolstering the existing social services for Sudanese refugees and their hosts. Uganda is providing new refugees with documentation so they can use their education and skills to boost local economies. Sudanese refugees have been allocated arable land for them to cultivate in the Central African Republic. Lastly, local communities in Libya, including pre-existing Sudanese in the country, have shown solidarity and support to arriving Sudanese refugees.

As the war continues, the agency has issued a call to address one of the largest emergencies in the world, citing the danger to social cohesion and stability in the region.

From Jurist, Nov. 9. Used with permission.

Map: PCL

From The New Humanitarian, Sept. 6

See our last report on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

From The New Humanitarian, July 19

Map via Wikimedia Commons

Meanwhile, an inter-agency evaluation of the aid response to the conflict—in which as many as 600,000 people may have died—labelled it a “system failure.” A member of the evaluation team was more forthright. In an opinion piece for The New Humanitarian, he called out the government’s obstruction of aid, and the lack of unity among UN agencies. Ed Schenkenberg van Mierop of the Geneva-based Humanitarian Exchange & Research Centre (HERE) urged reforms of the UN humanitarian response.​​

From The New Humanitairan, June 7.

Map: Political Geography Now

From Jurist, Feb. 25. Used with permission.

Map: Political Geography Now

From The New Humanitarian, Feb. 4

Map via EthioVisit