A speaker at the United Nations Security Council session said late in December that Israel’s announcement recognizing Somaliland as an independent state prompted sharp objections from Somalia and a number of regional actors.

The speaker said Somaliland welcomed the recognition as a "historic and principled decision" that would lead to full diplomatic relations and broaden cooperation across multiple sectors. Somalia’s federal government, the speaker read, "categorically and unequivocally rejected" the recognition and reaffirmed its "absolute and non negotiable commitment" to sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity under the provisional constitution, the Charter of the United Nations and the Constitutive Act of the African Union.

Why it matters: The dispute touches core questions of sovereignty and territorial integrity in the Horn of Africa and carries wider diplomatic implications. Somalia’s government and regional organizations warned that recognizing Somaliland risks setting a precedent that could affect stability across the continent, and Somalia said it would not permit foreign military bases that might draw it into external conflicts.

Details: According to the statement read in the session, Somalia considers any declaration or recognition that seeks to alter its territorial configuration to be "null and void and without any legal or political effect under international law." The statement also said Somalia "would not permit the establishment of any foreign military bases or arrangements that would draw the country into proxy conflicts or import regional and international hostilities into this region."

On 27 December a joint session of Somalia’s two houses of parliament condemned the recognition and said any such recognition "was null and void without legal basis and has no international legal effect," the speaker reported. The announcement by Israel drew reactions from several states, the speaker said, including Egypt, Jordan, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and a joint statement by 20 Middle Eastern and African countries rejecting the recognition.

Regional organizations also issued statements emphasizing Somalia’s territorial integrity. The speaker named the League of Arab States, the East African Community, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the European Union among those calling for respect for Somalia’s unity. The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the speaker said, on 26 December explicitly rejected recognition of Somaliland and warned that such a step "runs counter to the fundamental principles of the African Union" and could set a dangerous precedent.

The speaker also recalled that the Security Council "has repeatedly affirmed the respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia," citing a recent Security Council resolution referenced in the record. The speaker closed by urging Somali stakeholders to pursue peaceful and constructive dialogue and by recalling a 2023 communiqué on talks between the federal government and Somaliland. The session then moved to member statements.

Representative quotations (as read in the session): "categorically and unequivocally rejected" (Somalia's statement, read by the speaker); "null and void and without any legal or political effect under international law" (Somalia's statement, read by the speaker); "would not permit the establishment of any foreign military bases" (Somalia's statement, read by the speaker).

What’s next: The speaker called for peaceful dialogue between Somali stakeholders and referenced prior talks; the session then opened the floor to council members for further statements or interventions.