Somaliland got recognized. Sort of.

This issue looks closely at what exactly Israel's recognition of Somaliland as an independent state means (for the region, and for Israel, too), and how Malaysia' s courts are trying to create "justice" and "accountability" after the world's biggest financial scandal to date (they sentenced their former prime minister to 15 years in prison, again; this is quite rare in Southeast Asia).

Also in this issue:
While Egypt is deporting Sudanese refugees, Uganda is no longer giving refugee status to new arrivals from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. Both Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire are busy with elections. A closer look at Senegal's football economy, South Sudanese refugees' lawsuit against the Trump administration, a basketball tournament in Benin that also donates to orphanages, AFCON's soundtrack, and so much more.

Israel officially recognized Somaliland as an independent state, becoming the first country to do so

What happened last week
Last week, Israel formally recognized Somaliland as a state. That makes Israel the first country to do so.

Why this matters:
Somaliland has functioned like an independent country since 1991. It has its own government, elections, currency, army. But internationally, it is still treated as part of Somalia. Recognition has been the missing piece, and Israel just broke the wall.

Tell me more:
This was not charity on Israel's part. There are three potential main drivers:

• It's geopolitics, baby: Somaliland sits on the Gulf of Aden, near the Bab el-Mandeb strait. One of the world's most sensitive shipping routes. Israel cares deeply about Red Sea and Suez canal access.
• Security: The Horn of Africa is crowded with influence from Iran (through proxies), Turkey (via Somalia), China (with Djibouti), and Gulf states. Recognizing Somaliland gives Israel a foothold in a strategic region where its rivals are active.
• "Tit-for-tat": Somaliland has signaled it is open to closer ties with Israel. Quiet cooperation existed before, and as of last week, Somaliland also officially recognized Israel.

What does Somaliland get out of this?
One recognition does not equal UN membership. But it gives Somaliland diplomatic legitimacy, encourages other states to reconsider their stance perhaps, and helps give it a stronger hand against Somalia politically. For Somaliland, this is the biggest foreign policy win in years.

Has there been any backlash?
Lots. There are several moving parts:

• Somalia immediately condemned the move, calling it a violation of its sovereignty. The country has always been claiming that Somaliland is "just a region", not that argument is weaker.
• Djibouti has been sort of the region's favorite kid; the country lives off being a logistics and base hub. Now, with Israel's involvement, Djibouti worries about competition. Together with Somalia, Egypt, and Turkey, it issued a joint statement rejecting the move as interference in Somali domestic affairs.
• The African Union publicly condemned Israel's recognition of Somaliland and doubled down on its core principle that Somaliland remains legally part of Somalia. The AU warned that actions like this could undermine continental stability by encouraging unilateral secessionist moves.

There are some quiet winners, though. Ethiopia belongs to that group. The country is landlocked, and has wanted a piece of Somaliland's access to the Red Sea and Suez Canal as well (here's something that goes even deeper). However, most countries are still watching, not following (yet). If no one follows, Israel still gained a strategic partner.

A different take: Karima (@letshaveathink on TikTok) argues that the focus on whether Israel formally recognized Somaliland misses the real issue: how recognition works today. They say recognition is no longer a clear legal act but a flexible, strategic process made up of symbols, language, and selective cooperation (and even video calls).

Zoom out: If one big player recognizes Somaliland, others must explain why they don't. That also forces governments to confront Kurdistan, Catalonia, Biafra, Western Sahara, or Taiwan logic.

Meanwhile, Somalia held direct elections last week. For the very first time since 1969.

Malaysia's highest court just sentenced former prime minister Najib Razak to 15 years in prison

What happened:
Malaysia's highest court, the Malaysian Federal Court, sentenced former prime minister Najib Razak to 15 years in prison and fined him RM11.38 billion (about US$3 billion). He was already in jail from earlier 1MDB-related convictions, and this new sentence stacks on top of that.

Refresher: What's 1MDB?
1MDB was supposed to be an investment vehicle to boost Malaysia's economy. Instead, investigations by Malaysian, U.S., and other authorities say billions of U.S. dollars were misappropriated and ended up in private accounts and luxury assets. That makes this one of the most consequential financial corruption scandals in the world, not just in Southeast Asia. There's a Netflix documentary on this, of course.

Why this matters:
The fact that Najib got that many years and that big a fine is a pretty and a rare example of accountability. Former heads of government almost never face consequences this severe in Southeast Asia.

Tell me more:
The court basically said that Najib knew everything all along. He was not "misled" or "out of the loop", and the court rejected the idea that he was a passive figurehead. The judge found that Najib knew what was happening, used his position to approve and facilitate transactions, and was not acting in the public interest, but in his own. More importantly, the court said that Najib held multiple roles at once that gave him unchecked authority, which he used to override safeguards, and directly benefited from the abuse of power. Najib recently requested to serve his current sentence under house arrest, but it was rejected by the Malaysian courts.

Who is Najib Razak?
Najib Razak is not just somebody. He led Malaysia for nearly a decade and still has loyal supporters. Najib, in fact, was so big a figure that his downfall in 2018 reshaped Malaysia's politics. His party, UMNO, had ruled uninterrupted for over 60 years (note: don't mistake this for "one-party state"; there were regular elections), and when Najib fell, that opened Malaysian politics to serious reform debates. Even today, his conviction still divides political factions and influences current governance and coalitions because he still has a faction of loyal supporters. For many Malaysians, Najib represents stability, subsidies, and a predictable state. Corruption becomes sort of an abstract thing, when daily life felt better under him.

There is also pro-Najib-tok, with comments under this video saying stuff like, "aku percaya pegawai² polis penjara melayan dato sri najib seperti ayah kandung (translated via Google Translate: I believe the police and prison officers treat Datuk Seri Najib like their own father.)", or "dia curi bilion" pun ekonomi stabil. pmx skrg xda bunyi curi tp ekonomi tunggang langgang (Even when he stole billions, the economy was stable. Now under PMX there's no talk of stealing, but the economy is in chaos.)" "PMX" is shorthand for Malaysia's current prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim.

Why was the sentence so "harsh"?
Malaysia has spent years trying to claw back credibility after 1MDB damaged its global reputation, specifically its standing with investors, regulators, and foreign governments. This ruling is part of that cleanup. It does not erase the damage, but supporters of...