HAMILTON, Canada

A senior UN official on Monday reaffirmed respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Somalia secured under Security Council Resolution 2809.

Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, provided a briefing on Israel's recent decision to recognize Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent state at an emergency session of the Security Council.

"I would like to recall, as has the Secretary-General, that the Security Council has repeatedly affirmed the respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia, as most recently reaffirmed in resolution 2809 (2025) of 23 December 2025," Khiari said.

Calling on Somalia and the breakaway region of Somaliland to "engage in peaceful and constructive dialogue," he also urged them to "refrain from any actions that could further escalate the situation."

Somalia's UN envoy Abukar Dahir Osman, speaking on behalf of his country and the A3+, namely Algeria, Guyana and Sierra Leone, said "A3+ strongly condemns the flagrant assault by Israel on the unity and the territorial integrity of Somalia by recognizing as an independent entity to the northwestern region of Somalia, so-called Somaliland, which is legally incapable of entering into any agreement or arrangement or recognition with another country."

"A3+ will neither accept nor condone the illegal use of any territory, let alone that of a sovereign state which is a member of the United Nations, to deny the right of self-determination to a people who have been subjected to a crime against humanity for many, many years," he said.

Emphasizing that the future of Palestinians or Somalis cannot be "used as a bargaining chip," Osman said: "Israel's action not only sets a dangerous precedent but also poses a serious threat to regional and international peace and security.”

The UK's charge d'affaires, James Kariuki, stressed that his country does not recognize the breakaway region of Somalia and reaffirmed "support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia."

"We regret any action that risks undermining peace and security in the region," he added.

China's deputy UN envoy Sun Lei expressed support for the emergency session call on the Israeli recognition and said: "This has further increased the tensions in the Horn of Africa, drawing immediate and strong criticism and condemnations from regional organizations."

Conveying grave concern over Tel Aviv's move, Sun said: "Somaliland is an integral part of Somali territory. China firmly supports Somalia's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and opposes any act to split its territory."

Russia's senior counsellor to the UN, Dina Gilmutdinova, echoed the majority of the Council members and expressed deep concern over Israel's move.

"We would also like to emphasize that decisions akin to the one taken by the Israeli cabinet risk further complicating the efforts of Mogadishu and its partners' efforts to combat al-Shabaab terrorists," she said.

Pakistan's deputy UN envoy Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon also strongly condemned the Israeli action and said: "It is a direct assault on Somalia's internationally recognized borders and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law."

The representatives of Denmark and Greece also echoed the vast majority of the Council members and expressed support for Somalia.

Meanwhile, US deputy UN envoy Tammy Bruce criticized the Council for convening on the subject and accused the UN body of "persistent double standards."

Bruce compared Israel's recognition to UN member states' recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state and argued that "no emergency meeting was called to express this Council's outrage."

"On the matter of Somaliland, we have no announcement to make regarding US recognition of Somaliland, and there has been no change in American policy," she added.

Responding to Bruce's comparison, Slovenia's UN envoy, Samuel Zbogar, who is also the current president of the Council, stressed that the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state is an "undeniable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination."

"Palestine is not part of any state. It is illegally occupied territory, as declared by the International Court of Justice," he said, recalling Palestine's position at the UN as an observer state.

"Somaliland, on the other hand, is a part of a UN member state," he said, stressing that recognizing the breakaway region is against the UN Charter.

Zbogar further stressed that "sustainable peace is achieved not outside but through the United Nations itself. The United Nations is only as strong as the commitment of its member states, and for this reason, what the organization needs today is a mobilization of all of us, of its member states, for an alliance for peace."