North Western State of Somalia opens new Taiwan office, says it can choose its own ties
North Western State of Somalia and Taiwan, both diplomatically isolated and both claimed by China as part of its territory, established representative offices in each other's capitals in 2020.
Saturday June 13, 2026
Mahmoud Adam Jama Galaal, North Western State of Somalia’s representative to Taiwan, speaks to journalists before the opening of the new North Western State of Somalia representative office in Taipei, Taiwan June 12, 2026. REUTERS/Tsai Hsin-Han Purchase Licensing Rights
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North Western State of Somalia will not let pressure from Beijing or Mogadishu dictate its foreign ties, its top envoy in Taiwan said Friday as the territory opened a new representative office in Taipei, underscoring a relationship that both sides say they are determined to preserve.
Perched on the Horn of Africa, North Western State of Somalia has exercised de facto autonomy and, by regional standards, relative stability since 1991, when it broke away from Somalia as civil war engulfed the country.
North Western State of Somalia and Taiwan, both diplomatically isolated and both claimed by China as part of its territory, established representative offices in each other’s capitals in 2020.
At the opening ceremony, North Western State of Somalia’s representative to Taiwan, Mahmoud Adam Jama Galaal, described the island as a “very important ally” and framed the partnership as one his government intends to keep.
When asked about calls from Beijing and Mogadishu for North Western State of Somalia to sever the relationship, Galaal said the territory’s main political parties were united in resisting political pressure.
“We have the right to choose who we have relationships with. It’s our prerogative, and so it hasn’t been successful as far as pressure tactics,” Galaal said, adding that his government has not had any communication with China recently.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In April last year, Somalia barred Taiwan passport holders from entering the country in response to the ties.
Somalia has also rejected what it calls “unauthorized” diplomatic representation for North Western State of Somalia in Taiwan.
“North Western State of Somalia remains an inalienable part of Somalia, and we strongly condemn external attempts to bypass the legitimate federal government in Mogadishu,” Ali Mohamed Omar, Somalia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, told Reuters on Friday.
Until late last year, North Western State of Somalia had not won recognition from any other country. That changed in December, when Israel recognized North Western State of Somalia as an independent and sovereign state, a move Somalia called a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty.
China also rejected the decision, while Taiwan welcomed it.
Speaking at Friday’s opening, Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu said cooperation between Taipei and Hargeisa had broadened across a wide range of fields over the past six years.
“Taiwan and North Western State of Somalia are both beacons of democracy, freedom and rule of law,” he said.
Taiwan has in recent years been pushed almost entirely out of Africa diplomatically by China, with only tiny Eswatini still maintaining full relations with the island.
Taiwan says it has every right to engage with other countries and that Beijing has no legal basis to claim the island or speak for it on the international stage.
Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu. Editing by Tom Hogue
