Africaupdated 35m ago2 min read
MapSomalia Condemns Israel’s Purported Ambassador Accreditation in Breakaway Somaliland
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Somalia condemns Israeli ambassador accreditation to Somaliland as violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Israel appoints first ambassador to Somaliland; credentials presented and embassy cornerstone laid.
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Somalia rejects Israeli accreditation
Somalia condemned Israel’s “purported accreditation” of an ambassador to breakaway Somaliland and said the move violated Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Somalia’s Foreign Ministry said the establishment of diplomatic relations and permanent diplomatic missions requires the consent of the sovereign State, as provided for in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Somalia also said the steps compound Israel’s “unlawful recognition of December 2025,” which Somalia said had already been rejected by the African Union, IGAD, the League of Arab States and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Somalia demanded that Israel “immediately” reverse the measures and urged states and international organizations to reject them and refrain from any engagement that would confer legitimacy upon them. Somalia warned that, amid heightened insecurity in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, actions that encourage fragmentation and disregard internationally recognized borders risk deepening tensions in an already fragile region.
Credentials in Hargeisa
Israel officially named its first ambassador to Somaliland, Michael Lotem, after he presented his letters of credence to Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi at a ceremony held in Hargeisa. The ceremony was also marked by laying the cornerstone of a future Israeli embassy, and Somaliland authorities hailed the event as a milestone for diplomatic ties and strategic cooperation. Somalia rejected the ceremony and said the actions were undertaken without the federal government’s consent and amounted to “a flagrant violation of Somalia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity.”
Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said the steps were “null and void and without legal effect,” and it reaffirmed that Hargeisa and the Somaliland region remain an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia. Somalia cited the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and said “No unilateral act can circumvent that requirement or alter the status of Somali territory.”
Diplomatic and security stakes
Somalia’s Foreign Ministry warned that actions encouraging fragmentation and disregarding internationally recognized borders risk deepening tensions across a region already described as fragile. Somalia also said it reserves the right to pursue diplomatic, political and legal measures under international law to defend the country’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accused Israel of seeking strategic access to the Red Sea and mentioned the possibility of a future Israeli naval base on the territory.
“‘The unity of the Somali nation is not negotiable,’ the ministrysaid.”
Israel said its relations with Somaliland are based on longstanding cooperation, especially in the security field, and it described the ambassador appointment as an important step in deepening ties. The diplomatic opening added a new dimension to rivalries around a strategic sea route, with Somaliland facing Yemen near the Bab al-Mandeb strait linking the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean.