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Israel has appointed its first ambassador to Somaliland, which has led to condemnation from Somalia.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 after the country’s civil war collapsed the central government. It runs its own affairs in the north, but no country recognized it until Israel did last December. Somalia never accepted the split and treats the region as its own, so in Mogadishu’s eyes, any foreign outreach to Somaliland crosses a line. A few months back, news broke that Israel was potentially looking to put a military base in Somaliland (which would provide them easier access to target Yemen’s Houthi rebels).

What’s going on now; Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday the appointment of Michael Lotem (a veteran diplomat who previously served as ambassador to Kenya, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan) as its first non-resident ambassador to Somaliland. The move follows Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s visit to Somaliland’s capital Hargeisa in January and Somaliland’s own appointment of Mohamed Hagi as its first ambassador to Israel.

Addressing a joint session of parliament Tuesday, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi called Israel a “reliable partner.”

Somalia’s Foreign Ministry fired back immediately, calling the appointment “a direct breach of Somalia’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity” and a violation of the UN Charter. Somali officials called on Israel to walk back their move and pressed the UN, AU, Arab League, and EU to put pressure on Israel to reverse their decision.

This all comes as Somaliland has dangled access to lithium, oil, gas, and seafood in return for Israeli tech and capital. They’ve also left the door open to Israeli and American bases (a prospect that has pissed off Somalia). It’s also led to threats from Yemen’s Houthis, who’ve said any Israeli foothold there would be considered a legitimate target.