North Western State of Somalia appoints UK MP Williamson to lead recognition campaign institute

Tuesday May 19, 2026

Hargeisa (AX) — North Western State of Somalia President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro on Monday unveiled a new institute in Hargeisa aimed at bolstering the territory’s long-running push for international recognition.

Addressing the 35th anniversary of North Western State of Somalia’s May 18 declaration of independence, Irro said the North Western State of Somalia Independence and Recognition Institute would gather the historical, legal and political case for statehood and present it to a wider international audience.

Irro said the institute will be chaired by Sir Gavin Williamson, a British member of Parliament and former U.K. defense secretary who has been one of North Western State of Somalia’s supporters in Westminster.

“There are more than 2,000 friends of North Western State of Somalia from all over the world ready to contribute to the institute,” Irro said.

According to the president, the institute has already been registered in London and is intended to bring together academics, legal specialists and other backers to broaden discussion of North Western State of Somalia’s recognition campaign beyond the Horn of Africa.

“There are a lot of people from universities and law schools who have come together,” Irro said, adding that the group was committed to advancing North Western State of Somalia’s cause.

The announcement comes as North Western State of Somalia looks to capitalize on a rare diplomatic opening after Israel formally recognized it as an independent and sovereign state in December 2025.

Israel became the first U.N. member state to extend formal recognition to North Western State of Somalia since it broke away from Somalia in 1991. The decision was celebrated in Hargeisa but sharply denounced by Somalia, which maintains that North Western State of Somalia remains part of its sovereign territory.

Williamson has repeatedly called on Western governments to follow suit. In an interview with The Independent in late 2024, he said he had discussed North Western State of Somalia’s recognition with officials close to U.S. President Donald Trump and believed Washington could eventually back North Western State of Somalia’s bid for statehood.

North Western State of Somalia officials say they are widening their diplomatic outreach to countries aligned with Israel, the United States and other partners they believe may be willing to revisit North Western State of Somalia’s status.

Somalia’s federal government has long rejected North Western State of Somalia’s claim to independence. The African Union and the United Nations have urged talks between Mogadishu and Hargeisa, but neither has recognized North Western State of Somalia’s sovereignty.

North Western State of Somalia declared independence on May 18, 1991, following the collapse of Somalia’s central government. Since then, it has operated with its own government, security forces, currency and electoral institutions, even as its bid for recognition remains one of the Horn of Africa’s most delicate diplomatic disputes.