Mogadishu Warns AU: Israel’s Somaliland Move Threatens Unity

Somalia has urged African leaders to unite and reject Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent country, warning that the move threatens its sovereignty and could destabilise the region.

The appeal came from Somalia’s Foreign Minister, Abdisalam Abdi Ali, during an emergency session of the African Union Peace and Security Council held in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.

Following Israel’s recent announcement that Somaliland is now recognised as a separate state, Somalia requested that the session be held. For more than three decades, Somaliland has operated as a self-declared republic in northern Somalia, but the African Union and the United Nations continue to recognise it as part of Somalia.

Speaking to council members, Abdisalam Abdi Ali insisted that no foreign country has the right to redraw Somalia’s borders or determine the status of its territories. He said Israel’s action violates Somalia’s Provisional Constitution, the African Union Constitutive Act, and the United Nations Charter.

According to the foreign minister,

“Such moves contravene Somalia’s Provisional Constitution, the Constitutive Act of the African Union and the Charter of the United Nations.”

He went on to say that “no external actor has the legal authority” to change the internationally recognised territory of an African Union member state.

He warned that undermining Somalia’s unity is not just a local issue but a serious threat to peace and security in the Horn of Africa. The region already faces instability from terrorism, piracy, and fragile political systems.

The minister explained that any attempt to divide Somalia could trigger unrest across the Horn of Africa, spill over into the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and complicate global security and counter-terrorism operations.

Somalia’s government maintains that Somaliland remains part of its sovereign territory, despite claims of independence since 1991. The administration in Mogadishu fears that international recognition of Somaliland could encourage separatist movements in other African nations, reversing long-standing continental agreements to respect colonial-era borders.

Abdisalam Abdi Ali appealed to fellow African nations to defend those principles of unity. He urged them to reaffirm Somalia’s sovereignty and uphold the African Union’s long-standing commitment to territorial integrity.

Diplomats familiar with AU proceedings say Somalia is seeking strong political backing to prevent further international endorsements of Somaliland’s independence bid. Several African governments have already expressed concern that Israel’s move could create diplomatic friction at a sensitive time for the continent.

The appeal highlights both the fragile political balance in the region and the growing involvement of external powers in African affairs. Somalia says the focus should instead be on peace-building, security cooperation, and development for the benefit of the entire region.

For now, Mogadishu is counting on the African Union to stand firmly behind it as the debate continues over the future of Somaliland and the wider stability of the Horn of Africa.