Israel appointed its first ambassador to Somaliland, months after formally recognizing the breakaway region in the Horn of Africa, the foreign ministry said Sunday.
In December, Israel became the first country to recognize the independence of Somaliland since it declared its autonomy from Somalia in 1991 following a civil war.
Michael Lotem, currently serving as a roving economic ambassador to Africa, will be Israel’s envoy to Somaliland, the ministry said.
Lotem previously served as ambassador to Kenya, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
His appointment follows the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two sides in December 2025, and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar’s visit to Somaliland in January this year.
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As part of the December 26 agreement formalizing Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, both countries agreed to open embassies in the other and to appoint ambassadors.
In February, Somaliland announced the appointment of Mohamed Hagi as it ambassador to Israel.
Somaliland enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden and has its own currency, passport and army, but has struggled to win international recognition, amid concerns in many capitals that this would provoke Somalia and encourage other separatist movements in Africa.
Somaliland President Abdirahman Abdullahi Mohamed (right) posing for a photograph with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar at the Presidential Palace in Hargeisa, Somaliland, January 6, 2026. (Somaliland Presidential Office / AFP)
Israel’s recognition of the breakaway state sparked criticism from Somalia, which has long opposed Somaliland’s bid to secede, as well as from the African Union and the Arab League, which both said it “undermines” the territorial integrity of Somalia. The EU also criticized the move, and the United States said that it continued to recognize the territorial integrity of Somalia, “which includes the territory of Somaliland.”
Located in the Horn of Africa, the northern region of Somaliland is across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen, where the Houthis hold territory, making it strategically valuable. The Houthis, a terror group, began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, drawing Israeli airstrikes. They halted attacks after a ceasefire was reached in Gaza in October 2025.
Regional analysts believe that relations with Somaliland would provide Israel with better access to the Red Sea, enabling it to hit Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The breakaway state’s government in January denied that it had agreed to accept Gazan refugees or allow Israel to establish military bases on its soil in exchange for Israeli recognition, after Somalia’s presidency claimed that it had done so.
Saar’s visit to Somaliland drew condemnation from Somalia, which described it as an “unauthorized incursion.”
Lotem’s appointment was approved by the ministers during a cabinet meeting during which they also approved Yahel Vilan as Israel’s ambassador to Singapore. Vilan was previously envoy to Kenya.
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