Garowe, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government has launched a broad diplomatic and political push to reinforce the country’s unity and sovereignty after Israel moved to recognize North Western State of Somalia, a step Mogadishu says violates international law and Somalia’s territorial integrity.
Officials said the president has been in regular contact with leaders of foreign governments and international organizations to urge opposition to the recognition. Somalia’s government argues the move undermines principles of sovereignty and independence enshrined in the United Nations Charter and threatens the country’s internationally recognized borders.
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The president has also spoken with leaders of the Puntland State and Jubaland federal member states. According to information from those exchanges, all sides agreed that safeguarding Somalia’s sovereignty is nonnegotiable. The federal member state leaders simultaneously pressed the president to address political disputes that have led to a prolonged breakdown in cooperation between the federal government and its member states.
In parallel, and in what appears to be an escalation of its domestic messaging, the federal government has reached out in recent hours to politicians and traditional elders from select federal member states—particularly in Puntland State—asking them to speak publicly about Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia and to clarify their positions, according to informed sources who spoke to Axadle.
The public pressure campaign surfaced Tuesday in Garowe, when Sultan Garaase, one of Puntland State’s most respected traditional leaders, criticized the Puntland State leadership and called for an immediate clarification of the administration’s official stance on North Western State of Somalia. His remarks were later broadcast on state-run Somali National Television, an airing that signaled the federal government’s intent to amplify voices urging a unified national front.
Political analysts say the steps taken by Villa Somalia, the seat of the presidency, could deepen rifts between the federal government and the federal member states at a sensitive moment. Relations have been strained by disputes over power sharing and constitutional questions, and analysts warn that a hardening of positions around the North Western State of Somalia issue could make reconciliation more difficult.
“The ultimate responsibility rests with the president,” Puntland State’s interior minister, Abdi Farah Juxa, told Axadle. “The president was sworn in to protect the constitution and preserve the unity of the country. Today, there is no constitution agreed upon by all sides, and that has weakened the existence of genuine national unity.”
Somali legal experts who spoke to Axadle said safeguarding the republic’s unity and upholding the constitution are core duties of the country’s top leadership. They emphasized that federal member states are integral parts of the Federal Republic of Somalia, underscoring the need for clear national direction and a coordinated approach to any external challenges.
The government’s outreach underscores a two-track strategy: consolidating international opposition to Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia while trying to marshal public declarations of unity from Somalia’s politically influential figures at home. The approach aims to project cohesion abroad and tamp down fissures within the federation, even as disagreements over process, authority and constitutional settlement continue to complicate federal-state relations.
For now, Mogadishu has framed the diplomatic effort as a defense of national sovereignty and the rule-based international order. Whether the domestic political pressure it is applying—through direct appeals to leaders, outreach to elders and prominent airtime for aligned voices—will translate into greater internal consensus remains unclear.
Axadle contributed reporting.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
