Somali President: Working with Saudi-led partners to overturn Israel’s North Western State of Somalia recognition

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud unveiled a three-pronged diplomatic and legal campaign to overturn Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia, warning the move threatens Somalia’s sovereignty and the security of the Red Sea corridor. He said Mogadishu is acting in close coordination with partners led by Saudi Arabia to contain what he called a reckless escalation.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Mohamud said any recognition of the self-declared Republic of North Western State of Somalia as an independent state “constitutes a blatant violation” of Somalia’s territorial integrity and breaches international law, the UN Charter and African Union resolutions on inherited borders. He was referring to recognition announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Somalia’s unity is a red line,” Mohamud said, cautioning that some regional states may see the Israeli step as a chance to pursue “narrow, short-term interests” at the expense of Somali and regional stability. He declined to name specific countries.

Mohamud said his government has adopted three parallel measures to counter the move:

• Immediate diplomatic action through the United Nations, African Union and Organization of Islamic Cooperation to reject and legally and politically invalidate the recognition. He said Somalia called for and secured a formal UN Security Council session on what he termed a flagrant violation of Somalia’s sovereignty — a diplomatic gain for Mogadishu as a current council member.

• Coordinating a unified Arab, Islamic and African stance. Mohamud praised Saudi Arabia for swiftly rejecting any infringement on Somalia’s unity, noting the Saudi Cabinet’s “firm and principled” position and the Kingdom’s longstanding commitment to state sovereignty and territorial integrity.

• Strengthening internal national dialogue to address political issues within the framework of a single Somali state, free from external interference.

He expressed appreciation for statements of solidarity and condemnation from the African Union, Arab League, OIC, Gulf Cooperation Council, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the European Union.

Mohamud warned the recognition could set a “dangerous precedent” across Africa and the Arab world by emboldening separatist movements, pointing to the high costs of fragmentation in countries such as Sudan and Yemen. He linked the stakes directly to global trade and energy security via the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb, calling Somalia’s unity “a cornerstone of collective Red Sea security.”

“Any political or security tension along Somalia’s coast will directly affect international trade and energy security,” he said, adding that instability would ripple across Red Sea littoral states, particularly Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Yemen and Jordan.

Beyond political symbolism, Mohamud argued Israel’s objective is to establish a strategic foothold in the Horn of Africa near the Red Sea, enabling influence over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and threatening the national security of Red Sea states. He framed the development as a test of Arab and African resolve on sovereignty and territorial unity.

“We will not allow Somalia to become an arena for settling conflicts that do not serve our people’s interests or our region’s security,” he said, urging partners to keep external rivalries out of the Horn.

On ties with Riyadh, the Somali leader described relations as “deep-rooted and strategic,” grounded in shared history and religion. He lauded Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the economic gains under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and welcomed the Cabinet decision rejecting any attempt to divide Somalia as an extension of the Kingdom’s historic support for Somali sovereignty.

Mohamud said Somalia will press its case in international forums while accelerating internal reconciliation to ensure political disputes are resolved within a unified state. “We warn against being misled by reckless Israeli adventurism,” he said. “Preserving Somalia’s unity is essential to our stability — and to the stability of the region.”

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.