ISTANBUL

The recognition of the Somaliland region by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is against international law, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said on Saturday.

“The illegal aggression of PM Netanyahu in recognising a part of Somalia's Northern region is against international law,” Mohamud wrote on US social media platform X.

“Meddling with Somalia’s internal affairs is contrary to established legal & diplomatic rules. Somalia & its people are one: inseparable by division from a far,” he added.

Israel became the world’s first country on Friday to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state, drawing condemnation from Türkiye, and countries in Africa and the Middle East, among others.

Somaliland, which has lacked official recognition since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991, operates as a de facto independent administrative, political, and security entity, with the central government unable to assert control over the region and its leadership unable to secure international recognition of independence.

The Somali government refuses to recognize Somaliland as an independent state, considers it an integral part of its territory, and views any direct deals or engagement with it as a violation of the country's sovereignty and unity.