Nairobi (EFE).– Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday strongly condemned what he called the “illegal aggression” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Israel recognized the separatist region of Somaliland as an independent state.
Mohamud warned that the move violates international law and threatens regional stability.
“The illegal aggression of Netanyahu in recognising a part of Somalia’s Northern region is against international law,” Mohamud said on the social network X.
“Meddling with Somalia’s internal affairs is contrary to established legal & diplomatic rules. Somalia & its people are one: inseparable by division from a far.”
Addressing an extraordinary joint session of the Somali Parliament on Sunday, the president said that “the damage Netanyahu has caused to Somalia is unprecedented” and reaffirmed the government’s determination to defend the country’s territorial integrity.
“Somaliland is an integral part of Somalia, and we are taking all necessary diplomatic measures to defend our unity,” Mohamud told lawmakers.
He also warned Israel against any attempt to “transfer destabilizing conflicts and wars to Somali territory,” stressing that Somalia “will not allow its land to be used as a base for aggression against other countries.”
At the same time, the Somali leader reiterated his willingness to pursue dialogue with the authorities in the secessionist region and directly appealed to Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Irro.
“We tell the world that we are willing to negotiate with Somaliland and resolve our differences,” Mohamud said. “President Irro, I urge you not to push the population of the northern regions down the wrong path.”
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, the first by any country, has drawn widespread international criticism, particularly from African and Islamic nations, as well as from China and the European Union.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, announced on Saturday that the UN Security Council will hold an urgent session on Monday to discuss the issue.
Meanwhile, the Arab League, which includes Somalia among its 22 members, convened an emergency meeting on Sunday after several Arab and Islamic countries described Israel’s move as “a dangerous precedent” and “a threat to peace.”
Israel officially recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” on Friday, according to Netanyahu. His office said the decision was “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords” signed under the initiative of former US President Donald Trump.
The Abraham Accords are normalization agreements reached in 2020 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, mediated by the United States, with Sudan and Morocco later joining.
Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, described Israel’s decision as a “historic moment” marking the start of a “strategic alliance,” and expressed willingness to “adhere to the Abraham Accords.”
Somaliland, a former British protectorate until 1960, declared its separation from Somalia in 1991 following the overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
Although it is not internationally recognized, the region has its own constitution, currency and government, and has enjoyed greater political stability and economic development than much of Somalia.
Repeated attempts at dialogue between Somalia and Somaliland over the region’s status have failed over the past decades.
Somalia has remained mired in conflict since Barre’s fall, facing chronic instability and the threat posed by Islamist groups such as Al Shabab. EFE
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