Somaliland president makes 'historic' visit to Israel

Somaliland's President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi met his Israeli counterpart on Sunday in Jerusalem in his first-ever state visit, which comes months after Israel officially recognised the breakaway African state.

In December, Israel became the first country to recognise the independence of Somaliland since it declared its autonomy from Somalia in 1991 following a civil war. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that Abdullahi's visit "symbolises the great potential of this wonderful new partnership", according to the statement, adding that he hoped for increased bilateral "cooperation in a range of fields".