SA CONCERN OVER ISRAEL’S RECOGNITION OF SOMALILAND

Tue 30 December 2025:

South Africa has noted with concern, the recent announcement by the State of Israel recognising Somaliland as an independent state.

In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said the recognition constitutes a violation of the Federal Republic of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and is a direct threat to peace in the Horn of Africa.

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“We uphold the African Union’s principle of uti possidetis the sanctity of inherited borders as the continent’s essential safeguard against conflict. We distinguish unequivocally between decolonisation and secession. The former restores sovereignty; the latter dismantles it,” the Ministry said.

The Ministry further added that Israel’s action validates fragmentation and risks a domino effect of instability.
“South Africa urges the international community to reject this external interference and support a united, stable Somalia,” it said.

Israel became the first country to formally recognise the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent country from Somalia on 26 December.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would seek immediate cooperation with Somaliland in agriculture, health, technology and the economy. He further invited Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi to visit in the future.

Somalia’s government condemned Israel’s move as an “unlawful step” and a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty.

Chairperson of the African Union, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has already similarly reaffirmed the union’s commitment to Somalia.

He said that recognising Somaliland as an independent state risks setting a dangerous precedent with “far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent.”

Israel’s validation of Somaliland has prompted much global attention. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) convened a meeting on Monday night in response to the matter.

According to Al Jazeera, the United States was the only member of the 15-member body not to condemn the recognition, although it said that it does not plan to follow suit.

The United States defended Israel’s recognition and compared it to the recognition of an independent Palestinian state by numerous countries.

“Earlier this year, several countries, including members of this council, made the unilateral decision to recognise a nonexistent Palestinian state,” said US ambassador to the UN Tammy Bruce.

“Yet no emergency meeting was called to express this Council’s outrage,” she added, accusing colleagues of “double standards.”

Somalia’s UN ambassador, Abu Bakr Dahir Osman, called Israel’s move an “act of aggression” and said that this “utter disdain for law and morality must be stopped.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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