Somalia on Tuesday condemned the visit by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to Somaliland, labeling it an “unauthorized incursion".
“Somalia condemns in the strongest terms the unauthorized incursion by the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs into Hargeisa," the Somali Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It added that such a visit without the “explicit consent and authorization of the Federal Government of Somalia is illegal, null and void."
Sa’ar’s visit to Somaliland came less than two weeks after Israel announced its recognition of the self-declared republic, which Somalia considers part of its territory.
The move was met with condemnation from the European Union, as well as from a coalition of Arab and Islamic countries, joined by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The Al-Shabaab terrorist organization threatened to fight any attempt by Israel “to claim or use parts of Somaliland".
The terrorist organization said Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign state showed it “has decided to expand into parts of the Somali territories" to support “the apostate administration in the northwest regions."