Somalia on Friday strongly rejected what it described as an unlawful step by Israel to recognize its breakaway region, Somaliland, as an independent state, calling the move a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In a press release, the Office of the Prime Minister reaffirmed the government’s “absolute and non-negotiable commitment to its sovereignty, national unity, and territorial integrity,” citing Somalia’s Provisional Constitution, the UN Charter, and the African Union’s Constitutive Act as its legal foundation.
“The Federal Government of Somalia categorically and unequivocally rejects the deliberate attack to its sovereignty and the unlawful step by Israel purporting to recognize the northern region of Somalia,” the statement said.
It emphasized that the “Somaliland Region is an integral, inseparable, and inalienable part of the sovereign territory” of Somalia.
“No external actor has the authority or standing to alter its unity or territorial configuration,” it added, warning that “any declaration, recognition, or arrangement” challenging this status is “null, void, and without any legal or political effect under international law.”
The government also reiterated its support for Palestinian rights, saying Somalia “firmly rejects occupation, forced displacement, demographic engineering, and settlement expansion.”
“Somalia will never accept making the Palestinian people stateless,” the statement said.
