Will the US back the Israeli recognition of Somaliland? Donald Trump responds

This comes after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his country would be the first in the world to recognise Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia

US President Donald Trump has refused to back Israel in recognising Somaliland, saying that he opposed the US recognition of the breakaway region of Somalia.

In an interview with the New York Post published Friday, Trump questioned if “anyone knows where Somaliland is”.

"No. Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?" the US President told the Post when asked about US recognition of Somaliland.

This comes after Trump ally and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his country would become the first in the world to recognise Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia that declared its independence in 1991 following years of civil war but has never been recognised by any United Nations member state.

While it has established its own currency, parliament and flag, Somalia continues to assert that the region remains an inseparable part of its territory.

Netanyahu's announcement has been denounced by many countries and groups, including Somalia, Turkey and the African Union.

Somalia called Israel’s recognition of Somaliland “state aggression that would never be tolerated".

Netanyahu framed the recognition as being in the spirit of the Abraham Accords and said he would advocate for Somaliland during his meeting with US President Donald Trump.

He also invited Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, popularly known as Cirro, to visit Israel, an invitation that was accepted.

Earlier this year, US and Israeli officials told The Associated Press that Israel had approached Somaliland about taking in Palestinians from Gaza as part of US President Donald Trump's plan at the time to resettle the territory's population. The United States has since abandoned that plan.

The African Union Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said any attempt to undermine Somalia's sovereignty risks peace and stability on the continent.

He said that the commission “firmly rejects any initiative or action aimed at recognising Somaliland as an independent entity, recalling that Somaliland remains an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia.”