Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s provocative decision last Friday to become the only UN member state to recognize Somaliland has received backlash from around the world. It will also be the subject of a UN Security Council hearing on Monday Dec. 29, reported the Times of Israel.
The EU is one voice that has spoken out strongly in opposition. “The European Union reaffirms the importance of respecting the unity, the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia pursuant of its constitution, the Charters of the African Union and the United Nations,” Brussels said in a statement. “This is key for the peace and stability of the entire Horn of Africa region.”
The Gulf Cooperation Council and the African Union have also attacked the decision.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation released a statement condemning the decision as well, calling it a “violation of the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia, its national unity, and its territorial integrity” and emphasizing the need to “preserve security, peace, and stability in the Horn of Africa region, and rejected any actions that could undermine regional stability.”
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud responded similarly, reported the Times of Israel. Israel’s recognition of Somaliland “is (a) threat to the security and stability of the world and the region,” he told an emergency parliamentary session. It is “tantamount to a blunt aggression against the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and the unity of the people of the Somali Republic.”
Venezuela, too, has rejected Israel’s move to recognize Somaliland. Foreign Minister Yván Gil said in a statement on Telegram: “Venezuela adheres to and supports the UN Security Council resolutions and the African Union decisions that uphold the territorial integrity of Somalia,” the statement said.
The US State Department on Saturday said that it continued to recognize the territorial integrity of Somalia, “which includes the territory of Somaliland.”
