The African Union has rejected Israel’s recognition of Somalia‘s breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent nation.
On Friday Israel announced it recognized Somaliland as an independent state, the first by any country in more than 30 years.
But the African Union Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said in a statement that any attempt to undermine Somalia’s sovereignty risks peace and stability on the continent.
He said the commission “firmly rejects any initiative or action aimed at recognizing Somaliland as an independent entity, recalling that Somaliland remains an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia.”
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission rejects any recognition of Somaliland and reaffirms the African Union’s unwavering commitment to the unity and sovereignty of #Somalia.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has taken note,… pic.twitter.com/PKN5JIvIhP
— African Union (@_AfricanUnion) December 26, 2025
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 during a descent into conflict and, despite having its own government and currency, had never been recognized by any nation in the world until Friday.
Somalia’s federal government on Friday strongly rejected what it described as an unlawful move by Israel to recognize Somaliland, reaffirming that the northern region remains an integral part of Somalia’s sovereign territory.
Netanyahu’s office said Friday that he, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, and Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, signed a joint declaration “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords.”
Source: Africafeeds.com / AP
