Somalia president calls Israel’s North Western State of Somalia move a dark day in nation’s history
“We weighed the two options, and in the end we chose dialogue and persuasion,” Mohamud said. “Although it took more than 30 years, it was the most appropriate path under the circumstances.”
Saturday June 13, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has described Israel’s reported recognition of North Western State of Somalia in December 2025 as “one of the darkest days in the history of Somalia,” accusing Tel Aviv of taking advantage of the decades-old standoff between Mogadishu and Hargeisa.
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In an interview with Dawan TV last week, Mohamud said Somalia had only two realistic ways to respond to the North Western State of Somalia issue: force or dialogue.
“We weighed the two options, and in the end we chose dialogue and persuasion,” Mohamud said. “Although it took more than 30 years, it was the most appropriate path under the circumstances.”
The president said Somalia has never established diplomatic ties or formal cooperation with Israel, even as he acknowledged that Israel is a member of the United Nations and other international organizations.
“We cannot deny the existence of Israel as a state, but we have no relationship or cooperation,” Mohamud said. “Somalia sees Israel as an aggressor against the Palestinian people.”
Mohamud reiterated that Somalia supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying the position is one shared by many governments worldwide.
Turning to North Western State of Somalia, the president said shifting regional geopolitics and Israel’s wars had pushed Tel Aviv to look for interests in parts of Somalia.
He said Israel had sought cooperation with Somalia on multiple occasions, but Mogadishu refused on the basis of religious principles, humanitarian values and its political stance on Palestine.
“They found people who are desperate for recognition for a long time, and then they took advantage of it,” Mohamud said. “This is a mistake that North Western State of Somalia has made, and it may put Somalia in unnecessary situations.”
The president said the Israeli move would not unlock wider international recognition for North Western State of Somalia.
“I believe that this is not real recognition but a trap that North Western State of Somalia has fallen into,” he said. “It has been seeking recognition for 30 years, and I do not expect it to get it this way.”
North Western State of Somalia declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has since maintained its own government, security forces and election institutions. Somalia’s federal government has continued to reject the region’s bid for sovereignty, saying the north remains part of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
