Somaliland Sends Historic Delegation to Israel, Led by Berbera’s Traditional Leaders

A landmark visit organized under The Abrahamic Movement and the Somaliland–Israel Friendship Association will bring traditional leaders, businesspeople and journalists to Jerusalem, opening a new chapter in Horn of Africa–Israel relations.

Khurram Ali Raza

Faith & Freedom News (FFN) · Published August 31, 2026

A delegation representing Somaliland’s traditional leadership, diaspora community and private sector is set to travel to Israel next week in what organizers are calling a milestone step toward deeper cooperation between the two territories. The visit, coordinated by The Abrahamic Movement together with the Somaliland–Israel Friendship Association and Somaliland diaspora organizations, was announced by Tom Wegner, a coordinator of the initiative, on social media platform X.

Wegner described the trip as a chance to build genuine ties between Israelis and the Somaliland community, and confirmed that the group will be hosted in Israel through the coming week. His announcement, posted from his account @tomweg, framed the visit as “historic bridge-building” between the Jewish people and the people of Somaliland.

A visit dedicated to fostering deep integration and cooperation between Israel and Somaliland — spanning faith, trade and shared memory. — Framing of the delegation’s mission, as announced by Tom Wegner

At the center of the delegation is Ugaas Abdi Roble, head of the Council of Traditional Leaders of the Berbera region and one of Somaliland’s paramount traditional leaders. His participation, organizers say, lends the visit a weight that goes beyond ordinary diplomatic outreach, rooting it in the customary authority that traditional leaders continue to hold across Somaliland’s clans and regions.

A Wide-Ranging Agenda

Organizers say the trip is built around several strategic and cultural goals rather than a single ceremonial purpose. According to the published itinerary, the delegation’s agenda includes:

• Building direct connections with the Jewish people and pursuing academic and research partnerships
• Developing trade and investment ties in agriculture, fisheries and livestock — sectors central to Somaliland’s economy
• A visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s World Holocaust Remembrance Center
• Advancing interfaith dialogue between Somaliland’s Muslim community and Israel’s Jewish community
• Exploring cooperation in communications and tourism

The stop at Yad Vashem stands out on an itinerary otherwise focused on trade and diplomacy. For a delegation led by traditional and religious figures, organizers frame the visit as an act of shared remembrance as much as protocol — a gesture meant to underline the interfaith character of the trip alongside its commercial ambitions.

Meet the Delegation

Five members make up the group traveling to Israel, drawn from Somaliland’s diaspora leadership, traditional governance structures, agribusiness sector and press corps. Tap each name to read more.

An Opening for Investors

Beyond the symbolic and interfaith dimensions of the trip, organizers are positioning the visit as a commercial opening. Wegner’s announcement specifically invited Israeli business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors interested in Somaliland’s emerging opportunities to reach out directly to arrange meetings with the delegation.

Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but remains formally unrecognized by the international community, has in recent years sought closer, often informal, relationships with Israel and other partners as it pushes for greater global standing. Visits such as this one — combining traditional leadership, faith institutions and business interests — have become one of the territory’s main channels for building those relationships outside formal state recognition.

Neither the Israeli government nor Somaliland’s authorities have issued an official statement on the visit at the time of publication. FFN will continue to follow the delegation’s itinerary and outcomes as they are announced.