Somalia condemns Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as independent state

(MENAFN) Somalia strongly rejected Israel’s recognition of its breakaway region, Somaliland, as an independent state, calling the move unlawful and a breach of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In an official statement, the Office of the Prime Minister reaffirmed Somalia’s “absolute and non-negotiable commitment to its sovereignty, national unity, and territorial integrity,” citing the country’s Provisional Constitution, the UN Charter, and the African Union’s Constitutive Act as legal foundations.

The government said: “The Federal Government of Somalia categorically and unequivocally rejects the deliberate attack to its sovereignty and the unlawful step by Israel purporting to recognize the northern region of Somalia.” It stressed that “the Somaliland Region is an integral, inseparable, and inalienable part of the sovereign territory” of Somalia, warning that any external declaration or recognition challenging this status is “null, void, and without any legal or political effect under international law.”

Somalia also reiterated its support for Palestinian rights, condemning occupation, forced displacement, settlement expansion, and demographic engineering, stating: “Somalia will never accept making the Palestinian people stateless.”

The statement further warned that foreign interventions, including military bases, could drag the country into “proxy conflicts or import regional and international hostilities.”

Officials said that actions like Israel’s recognition risk destabilizing the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden, potentially creating conditions for terrorist groups to exploit political instability.

Somalia called on the international community to “act responsibly” and respect international law and non-interference principles, while urging citizens to remain “united, vigilant, and resolute” in defending the nation’s sovereignty. The government confirmed it would pursue “all necessary diplomatic, political, and legal measures” to protect its internationally recognized borders.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has since operated as a de facto independent political and administrative entity, though it remains unrecognized internationally.

The Somali government continues to consider Somaliland an inseparable part of its territory and views any direct engagement with the region as a violation of national unity and sovereignty.

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