Somalia strongly rejected Israeli recognition on Friday of breakaway Somaliland as sovereign and independent state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his country gave recognition to Somaliland in a spirit of Abraham Accord, an Arab-Israeli rapprochement brokered by US President Donald Trump.
In a statement issued issued hours after Israeli move, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia rejected the recognition saying “Somaliland is an integral, inseparable, and inalienable part of the sovereign territory of the Federal Republic of Somalia.”
The statement, which has described the recognition by Israel as a “deliberate attack on its sovereignty” said that Somalia does not allow external body to alter its territorial configuration, and any effort to do so will not be legally and politically acceptable.
The statement added the country will not harbour foreign military bases which could involve Somalians in proxy conflicts.
Somalia extended warning that a move of this kind would put peace and stability in jeopardy in the Horn of Africa, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and Middle East, while also expressing its commitment to engage with international community on the basis of mutual respect, and respect to international law.
Somalia which considers Somaliland as its sovereign territory has long rejected treaties Somaliland entered into with third parties, and citing them as a violation of international norms.
The port agreement Somaliland signed with Ethiopia in January 2024, drew anger from Somalia and its allies, leading to a tense Ethio-Somalia relations.
Though the two countries tried to hammer out their differences in Turkey-brokered talks, grievances are stil simmering under the surface.
The Israeli move drew wide condemnation form Somali allies including Egypt, Tureky and Djiboit. The AU also rejected the recognition and confirmed AU’s commitment to territorial sovereignty of Somalia over Somaliland.
