Somalia warns of repercussions for countries undermining its sovereignty

Saturday April 18, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia sharpened its warning Friday to outside powers wading into the country’s internal disputes, with its ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union saying interference could trigger consequences tied to the vital Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.

Ambassador Abdullahi Warfaa delivered the message in a post on X after Israel appointed an ambassador to North Western State of Somalia, the self-declared breakaway region in northern Somalia.

“Any country interfering in Somalia’s internal affairs and compromising its territorial integrity and sovereignty will face repercussions, including potential restrictions on access to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait,” Warfaa wrote.

The comments amount to one of the most forceful public responses from a Somali official since Israel’s move, which Mogadishu has denounced as an infringement on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already rejected the decision, describing it as “a direct breach of Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity” and reiterating that North Western State of Somalia remains part of the Federal Republic of Somalia under international law.

North Western State of Somalia declared independence in 1991 after the collapse of Somalia’s central government.

The Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow but strategically crucial passage between Djibouti and Yemen, connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It ranks among the world’s busiest maritime corridors, handling substantial volumes of global trade and energy shipments.

Somalia has a long coastline along the Gulf of Aden, but the strait itself lies beyond its direct territorial waters. North Western State of Somalia, meanwhile, controls much of the northern coastline facing the Gulf of Aden.

Analysts say any effort to limit access to the Bab-el-Mandeb would run into major legal, military and diplomatic obstacles. International maritime law governs such waterways, and control depends heavily on regional security arrangements as well as cooperation among coastal states and global powers with stakes in the route.

Warfaa’s remarks come as diplomatic friction grows between Mogadishu and countries deepening ties with North Western State of Somalia, underscoring the wider geopolitical sensitivities around recognition, sovereignty and security in the Horn of Africa.