Israel declared on Friday, 26 December, that it viewed Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, a move that drew a sharp rebuke from Somalia, which described the statement as an affront to its sovereignty and warned it could destabilize the region.
According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, the first country to formally recognize Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent state, planned to move quickly to deepen cooperation in areas including agriculture, health care, and technology.
The move was welcomed by Somaliland’s President, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, calling it “a historic moment” and a step toward regional and global peace.
On the other hand, Hamza Abdi Barre, Somalia’s prime minister, said the government firmly rejected Israel’s move, which he described as an intentional violation of the country’s sovereignty.
In 1991, Somaliland proclaimed its independence from Somalia and has sought international recognition ever since, an effort that President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi has elevated to a central goal since assuming office last year.
Israel’s recognition could pave the way for other nations to follow suit, potentially boosting Somaliland’s diplomatic standing and access to international markets. However, the decision has drawn criticism.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, spoke by phone on Friday with Somalia’s Foreign Minister, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, Turkey’s Hakan Fidan, and Djibouti’s Abdoulkader Houssein Omar, to address the rapidly unfolding situation in the Horn of Africa, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
During the calls, the four ministers jointly condemned Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, reaffirming their support for Somalia’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. They rejected any unilateral measures that could undermine Somali authority or destabilize the country, emphasizing their backing of Somalia’s legitimate state institutions.
The ministers further criticized efforts to establish parallel entities that challenge the cohesion of the Somali state or threaten its stability, warning that recognizing breakaway regions within sovereign nations sets a dangerous precedent. They said such actions threaten international peace and security and contravene both international law and the United Nations Charter.
A number of other nations also criticized Israel’s decision. The African Union (AU) denounced the move, cautioning that it could create a “dangerous precedent” with wide-ranging consequences for peace and stability across Africa. Somaliland “remains an integral part” of Somalia, a member state of the African Union, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the head of the pan-African organization, said.
The Somali government would use every diplomatic avenue at its disposal to contest what it called an act of “state aggression” and interference by Israel in Somalia’s internal matters, according to Ali Omar, Somalia’s deputy foreign minister.
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