African Union Urges Reversal of Israel’s Somaliland Recognition after Saar Visit
By Palestine Chronicle Staff
The African Union called for the revocation of Israel’s Somaliland recognition as Somalia denounced the move as illegal under international law.
The African Union’s Political Affairs, Peace and Security Council on Tuesday called for the immediate revocation of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, condemning the move as a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In a statement posted on X following a ministerial meeting, the council said it “strongly condemns, in the strongest terms,” Israel’s unilateral recognition of Somaliland, warning that the decision undermines Somalia’s unity and contravenes international law and African Union principles.
The call came as Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visited Somaliland on Tuesday, just 10 days after Israel formally recognized the self-declared republic as an independent and sovereign state. The visit drew sharp condemnation from Somalia and regional actors.
Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saar’s visit to Hargeisa constituted a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and an act that undermines international law and established norms governing state borders.
In an official statement, the ministry stressed that any formal presence, communication, or engagement conducted on Somali territory without the explicit approval of the Federal Government of Somalia is illegal, null, and void, and carries no legal standing under national or international frameworks.
The statement added that such actions contradict the principles of the United Nations Charter and the founding law of the African Union.
According to Somali officials, Saar carried out his first official visit to the breakaway region at the invitation of Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, holding political meetings with senior Somaliland officials.
Those in attendance reportedly included Somaliland Foreign Minister Abdirahman Dahir Adam, Minister of the Presidency Khader Hussein Abdi, and Chief of Staff Nimcan Yusuf Osman, alongside parliamentary figures such as Speaker Yasin Haji Mohamed and Senate Chairman Saleeban Mahmoud Aden.
On December 26, 2025, Israel formally announced its recognition of Somaliland as an independent sovereign state. In a statement, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had signed a joint and reciprocal declaration with Saar and the Somaliland president.
Formerly a British protectorate, Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has remained diplomatically unrecognized for more than three decades. The region lies along the strategically vital Gulf of Aden, bordering Ethiopia and Djibouti, and has long pursued bilateral agreements with foreign governments on investment and security.
Somalia has repeatedly rejected any foreign engagement with Somaliland without federal consent, maintaining that the region remains an integral part of the Somali state and warning that unilateral recognition threatens regional stability.
(PC, Al Mayadeen)