Saynab Ahmed Abdi Named Somaliland Chair of the New Israel–Somaliland Business Council

Five Abrahamic and peace organisations across the Horn of Africa hail the appointment as a milestone in the grassroots movement working to build ties between Hargeisa and Jerusalem.

Ms. Saynab Ahmed Abdi has been officially nominated and appointed Chairperson of the Somaliland side of the newly formed Israel–Somaliland Business Council (ISBC), according to a joint statement issued Monday by five affiliated peace and interfaith organisations working across the Horn of Africa.

The announcement, numbered Reference No. GAM/AAM/AMSL/ISFA/ISBC/001/2026 and dated 10 August 2026, was released jointly by the Global Abrahamic Movement (GAM), the African Abrahamic Movement (AAM), the Abrahamic Movement Somaliland, the Somaliland Peace Movement Organization (SPMO), and the Israel–Somaliland Friendship Association (ISFA). The five bodies describe themselves as a coalition promoting reconciliation, commerce and faith-based dialogue between Somaliland and Israel.

“On behalf of the Global Abrahamic Movement, the African Abrahamic Movement, the Abrahamic Movement Somaliland, the Somaliland Peace Movement Organization, and the Israel–Somaliland Friendship Association — heartfelt congratulations.”

The coalition’s statement frames the appointment as recognition of Ms. Abdi’s standing in Somaliland’s business and civic community, and as a practical step toward the Business Council’s stated mission: opening trade, investment and commercial dialogue channels between Somaliland entrepreneurs and Israeli counterparts.

§The Announcement, Reproduced

Below is the coalition’s congratulatory notice as circulated to member organisations and partners on 10 August 2026.

§Who Signed the Letter

• 🌍
  Global Abrahamic Movement (GAM)

  An international coalition describing its mission as advancing dialogue and cooperation among Abrahamic faith communities worldwide.
• 🌍
  African Abrahamic Movement (AAM)

  GAM’s continental arm, coordinating interfaith and reconciliation initiatives across African member communities.
• 🕊️
  The Abrahamic Movement Somaliland

  The movement’s local chapter, active in Hargeisa and focused on faith-based peacebuilding within Somaliland.
• 🤝
  Somaliland Peace Movement Organization (SPMO)

  A Somaliland-based civic group working on peace advocacy and cross-community relations.
• 🇮🇱
  Israel–Somaliland Friendship Association (ISFA)

  An advocacy body promoting closer ties between Israeli and Somaliland civil society and business communities.

§Why the Council Matters

The Israel–Somaliland Business Council is presented by its founders as a private-sector complement to years of informal advocacy for closer relations between Somaliland — the self-declared, internationally unrecognised territory in the Horn of Africa — and Israel. Its stated purpose is to connect entrepreneurs, investors and trade bodies on both sides, an ambition that runs alongside separate diplomatic-level discussions reported in recent years between Somaliland officials and Israeli counterparts.

Neither Israel nor Somaliland has confirmed formal, state-to-state recognition arrangements as part of this announcement; the ISBC is described in the coalition’s own materials as a civil-society and business initiative rather than an act of government. FFN Africa Desk has reached out to Somaliland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment on the Council’s official status and will update this report if a response is received.

Editor’s note: This report is based on a joint statement issued by GAM, AAM, AMSL, SPMO and ISFA on 10 August 2026. FFN Africa Desk has not independently verified the internal governance structure of the Israel–Somaliland Business Council. Readers seeking primary confirmation should consult the issuing organisations directly.