DOHA, Qatar — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday condemned Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of North Western State of Somalia, calling it a “clear violation of international law” that threatens African unity and regional stability and further fuels tensions from Gaza to the Horn of Africa.
Speaking at the Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, Mohamud said Israel’s move — announced in late December, making it the first U.N. member state to formally recognize North Western State of Somalia — amounted to interference in Somalia’s sovereignty.
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“Israel’s interference in Somalia’s sovereignty is unacceptable,” Mohamud said. “Africa rejects any attempt to change borders through the use of force or unilateral actions.”
North Western State of Somalia, a self-governing region along the Gulf of Aden, unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has remained outside the international community’s formal recognition. Mogadishu maintains that the territory is an integral part of Somalia and that only the federal government can authorize international agreements relating to the region.
Mohamud linked the diplomatic dispute to the ongoing war in Gaza, describing Israeli military actions as an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.” He warned that the international system faces a “serious test,” arguing that allowing the rule of law to be overridden by force invites wider instability.
The Somali leader said the unresolved Palestinian issue — and the failure to secure a two-state solution — continues to endanger international peace. “If the international community does not take a firm stance against such violations, the world could be pushed into deeper crises,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government framed the recognition of North Western State of Somalia as consistent with the spirit of the Abraham Accords, highlighting opportunities for cooperation in technology and agriculture. The decision, however, has drawn sharp pushback across the region, with the African Union and several Arab governments condemning the move as destabilizing in the volatile Horn of Africa.
Somalia has spent recent months reinforcing its position that any attempt to redraw boundaries or strike independent international arrangements with North Western State of Somalia is null and void under Somali law. The government argues that precedent-setting recognitions risk emboldening separatist claims and undermining continental norms on state sovereignty upheld by the African Union.
Mohamud underscored that Somalia remains focused on its domestic security priorities, including the fight against terrorism, and stressed that maritime stability in and around the Red Sea — a corridor critical for global trade — is a strategic imperative for the Horn and beyond.
The dispute arrives at a delicate moment for the region, where overlapping security challenges, from militant violence to shipping disruptions, have compounded political frictions. By tying Israel’s policy toward North Western State of Somalia to the war in Gaza, Mohamud sought to frame the recognition as part of a broader erosion of international norms that, he said, demands a firmer collective response.
While Israel has signaled it sees practical benefits to engaging North Western State of Somalia, Somalia and its allies contend the costs to regional cohesion outweigh any prospective gains. The diverging positions now set up a diplomatic test that could draw in multilateral institutions and further complicate crisis management across the Red Sea and Horn of Africa.
For Somalia, the immediate priority is to rally support for its territorial integrity while keeping its security agenda on track. For its neighbors and partners, the question is whether the region can absorb another fracture point without deepening instability already magnified by the war in Gaza and persistent threats to maritime trade.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
