A coalition of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, joined by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), issued a joint statement Saturday rejecting Israel’s decision to recognize the Somaliland region within Somalia.
According to the Jordan News Agency (JNA), the ministers condemned Israel’s move, announced on Friday, warning it would have “serious repercussions for peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region” and undermine international peace and security.
The statement described the recognition as “an unprecedented and flagrant violation of international law and the charter of the United Nations,” emphasizing that these principles uphold state sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.
The ministers reaffirmed their full support for Somalia’s sovereignty and rejected “any measures that would undermine its unity or territorial integrity.” They cautioned that recognizing the independence of regions within existing states “sets a dangerous precedent” and poses a direct threat to global peace and stability.
The statement also reiterated categorical opposition to any suggestion linking the recognition to “plans to displace the Palestinian people outside their land,” stressing that such notions are rejected “in form and substance.”
Participating alongside Jordan were the foreign ministers of Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, The Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, and Yemen, as well as representatives of the OIC.
The three countries which signed onto the Abraham Accords in 2020 - the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco - were not signatories to the statement.
Somalia, January’s president of the UN Security Council, on Saturday requested an urgent session on the issue of Israel's recognition of Somaliland. The discussion is expected to take place on Monday.
The European Union criticized Israel's recognition of Somaliland as an independent state, insisting that recognition of Somalia's territorial integrity is "key for peace and stability" in the region.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has enjoyed effective autonomy and relative peace and stability, but to date has failed to receive recognition from any other country besides Israel.