AU, Others Reject Israel’s Recognition Of Somaliland As Independent State

The African Union (AU) and other countries have expressed outrage over Israel’s recent recognition of Somaliland as an independent country out of Somalia and rejected any attempt to recognise Somalia’s secessionist region as an independent country.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the bloc reiterated its unwavering support for Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The AU, in the statement, “unequivocally reaffirmed” the organisation’s position on the need to uphold “the respect for the intangibility of borders inherited at independence.”

Youssouf stated that, “Any attempt to undermine the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Somalia runs counter to the fundamental principles of the African Union and risks setting a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent.”

Israel became the first country to formally recognise Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent nation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intended to immediately expand cooperation in agriculture, health, and technology. Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, called the development “a historic moment.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in a statement on X that the two countries had agreed to establish “full diplomatic ties, which will include the appointment of ambassadors and the opening of embassies.”

An enraged Somalia’s Prime Minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, categorically and unequivocally rejected what he called a “deliberate attack by Israel on its sovereignty.”

The decision has also been condemned by the foreign ministers of Somalia, Egypt, Turkey and Djibouti, who in a statement, affirmed their “total rejection” of Israel’s announcement.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s foreign minister held separate phone calls with his counterparts in Somalia, Turkey and Djibouti to discuss issues, including Israel’s declaration.

In a statement, Egypt’s foreign ministry said the four countries reaffirmed their support for Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and warned against unilateral steps that could undermine stability or create what they called “parallel entities” to Somalia’s state institutions.

They also argued that recognising the independence of parts of sovereign states would set a dangerous precedent under international law and the United Nations (UN) Charter.

Somaliland has a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden, and has its own money, passports and police force. Born in 1991 after a war of independence against former dictator General Siad Barre, it has grappled with decades of isolation ever since.