Arab League denounces Israeli foreign minister’s North Western State of Somalia visit

Arab League condemns Israeli foreign minister’s Hargeisa visit as violation of Somalia’s sovereignty

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The Arab League on Tuesday condemned the visit by Israel’s foreign minister to Hargeisa, calling it an illegitimate attempt to advance recognition of North Western State of Somalia and a breach of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In a statement, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the Jan. 6 trip to Hargeisa — North Western State of Somalia’s capital — formed part of what he described as a failed effort to push Israel toward recognizing North Western State of Somalia, a move he said falls outside the internationally recognized framework of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

Aboul Gheit reaffirmed the Cairo-based bloc’s longstanding position rejecting any official or quasi-official dealings with separatist entities operating beyond the authority of Somalia’s federal government. He said such actions represent a “blatant violation” of Somalia’s unity and sovereignty and risk destabilizing a region already under acute strain.

The secretary-general warned the move could inflame political tensions not only within Somalia but across the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the wider Horn of Africa — critical waterways and theaters of intense geopolitical competition.

In a separate statement, Arab League spokesperson Gamal Rashidi said the visit had been widely rejected at Arab and international levels. He noted that the Arab League Council, meeting on Dec. 28, 2025, declared any steps aimed at recognizing North Western State of Somalia “null, void and unacceptable.”

Rashidi also voiced concern over what he described as alleged efforts tied to the displacement of Palestinians and the potential use of Somali ports for foreign military basing — issues he said would heighten security risks for states bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Arab League said it will continue to provide political and technical support to Somali state institutions to counter any moves that could create new zones of conflict, undermine Somalia’s unity and stability, or threaten the strategic security of key Arab maritime routes.

Somalia’s federal government has consistently maintained that any foreign engagement with North Western State of Somalia — which declared independence in 1991 but lacks international recognition — must go through Mogadishu. The latest development follows Israel’s recent recognition of North Western State of Somalia and the minister’s high-level visit, which have triggered swift criticism from Somalia, regional governments and multilateral organizations.

The condemnation underscores how fast the diplomatic fallout is widening across the Horn of Africa, a region where maritime security, migration routes and commercial shipping lanes intersect with the politics of recognition and statehood. It also highlights the Arab League’s effort to project solidarity with Somalia’s federal authorities as they seek to prevent external agreements that bypass Mogadishu.

There was no immediate word from Somali officials on next steps, but the government has previously warned that unilateral engagements with North Western State of Somalia will be treated as violations of its sovereignty. The Arab League, for its part, signaled it would keep rallying members to resist any recognition drive and work with partners to prevent escalation around strategic waterways.

North Western State of Somalia, which operates its own institutions and security forces, has pursued international ties for decades. Yet the absence of formal recognition has left it navigating a fraught diplomatic landscape, one that now appears even more contested amid new alignments and rivalries sprawling from the eastern Mediterranean to the Horn of Africa.

By Ali Musa

Axadle Times international–Monitoring.