The Arab League Council affirmed in its statement its categorical rejection of Israel’s purported recognition of the secession of Somalia’s northwestern region, known as Somaliland, stressing that this move is driven by political, security, and economic agendas and has no legal validity.
The council also rejected any measures resulting from this invalid recognition that could facilitate the forced displacement of the Palestinian people or allow the use of northern Somali ports for the establishment of foreign military bases.
Reiterating the firm and consistent Arab position expressed in League resolutions at all levels, the council stressed that the northwestern region of Somalia – referred to as Somaliland – is an integral and inseparable part of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
This position, it noted, is grounded in the Charter of the League of Arab States, the Charter of the United Nations, and the charters of all international and regional organisations of which Somalia is a member.
The council categorically rejected any attempt to recognise the secession of this region, whether directly or indirectly, and warned against the consequences of such actions.
The Arab League further emphasised that this illegal Israeli recognition forms part of Israel’s broader attempts, as an occupying power, to undermine international peace and security.
It described the move as a direct threat to Arab national security, necessitating legal, political, economic, and diplomatic measures to confront it.
The League reaffirmed its full support for Somalia’s security, stability, unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as its support for the Federal Government of Somalia in its efforts to safeguard Somali sovereignty on land, at sea, and in the air.
It also affirmed Somalia’s right to legitimate self-defence, as stipulated in Article 51 of the UN Charter and the relevant provisions of the Charter of the League of Arab States, pledging support for any measures Somalia may take to counter aggression, in accordance with international law.
The League expressed full solidarity with the position of the Somali government, which considers any recognition of the secession of the northwestern region to be null and void, unacceptable, and a flagrant violation of international law.
Such actions, it said, constitute blatant interference in Somalia’s internal affairs and a serious breach of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, with dangerous repercussions for peace and stability in Somalia, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Horn of Africa.
The statement warned that Israeli actions represent a dangerous attempt to reshape the geopolitical landscape of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden along the Somali coast.
The League called on the international community to confront these measures as a threat to regional and international peace and security, as well as to freedom of navigation and international trade.
The Arab League also reaffirmed its categorical rejection of any form of forced displacement of the Palestinian people or attempts to alter the demographic composition of the Palestinian territories, describing such practices as a form of genocide and a grave violation of international law and relevant international resolutions, undermining prospects for a just and lasting peace.
In this context, the League stressed its rejection of the use of Somali territory as a platform for implementing Israeli plans, reiterating its firm opposition to the use of the territory of the Federal Republic of Somalia, or any part thereof, by external actors as a base for hostile, military, or intelligence activities that could threaten the security and stability of other states.
The statement also affirmed co-ordination with the Federal Government of Somalia – currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2025–2026 – to mobilise international support for resolutions affirming Somalia’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and rejecting Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as null and void and a threat to international and regional peace and security.
For his part, Somalia’s Ambassador to Cairo and Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States, Ali Abdi Awari, said the council reaffirmed the Arab commitment to Somalia’s unity and sovereignty and its rejection of any plans undermining the country’s territorial integrity.
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