Trump says he does not back recognizing Somaliland after ally Israel: NY Post

President Donald Trump said he opposed US recognition of Somaliland in an interview with the New York Post published on Friday, after Israeli Prime Minister and prominent Trump ally Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would become the first country to recognize it.

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

Israel announced Friday that it viewed Somaliland as an "independent and sovereign state, prompting Somalia to call the decision a "deliberate attack" on its sovereignty that would undermine regional peace.

Several other countries condemned Israel's decision. The African Union (AU) rejected the move and warned that it risked "setting a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent".

Somaliland "remains an integral part" of Somalia, an AU member, said the pan-African body's head, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.

AFP