In brief
Somalia’s foreign ministry called Israel’s reported accreditation of its ambassador in Somaliland illegitimate, stressing that Somaliland remains a part of Somalia and that any diplomatic presence must have the federal government’s consent. The ministry warned that the action risks worsening regional instability and urged other states to reject it. Somalia also warned it could use all diplomatic and legal means to protect its sovereignty.
Somalia on Tuesday condemned what it described as an unfounded claim by Israel that the country’s ambassador had been accredited in the breakaway region of Somaliland, calling the move null and void and a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty.
Israeli diplomats had reportedly asserted that their envoy had been officially recognised by Hargeisa, yet the Somali government stated that no such recognition had ever been granted. The foreign ministry said the accreditation was unilateral, carried out without the consent of the Federal Government of Somalia, and therefore unconstitutional.
Mogadishu’s foreign ministry said:
The establishment of diplomatic relations and permanent diplomatic missions requires the consent of the sovereign State, as provided for in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The statement reiterated that Somaliland remains an integral and inseparable part of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and that any diplomatic presence there necessitates approval from the Somali federal authority. It also warned that the unilateral accreditation compounded Israel’s previously rejected December 2025 recognition of Somaliland, a move that the African Union, IGAD, the League of Arab States and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation have already denounced as unlawful.
Somalia’s foreign ministry cautioned that amid heightened insecurity in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, actions that appear to legitimize a breakaway territory could deepen an already fragile situation. It called the move a “flagrant violation” of the country’s territorial integrity and unity.
The ministry demanded that Israel “immediately” reverse the accreditation and urged all states and international organisations to refrain from any engagement that might confer legitimacy on Somaliland. Somalia also warned that it reserves the right to employ all appropriate diplomatic, political and legal avenues under international law to defend its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
These statements came as part of a broader international debate over the recognition of Somaliland, a region that has declared independence in 1991 yet lacks widespread diplomatic acknowledgement. Somalia’s firm declaration underscores its position that any foreign diplomatic activity in the region must be sanctioned by the federal government, and signals a readiness to resist external attempts to alter the recognized borders of the country.
