Somalia has denounced Israel’s reported accreditation of an ambassador in Hargeisa and plans to establish a diplomatic mission there, describing the moves as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In a statement issued on Tuesday (Nov. 3), Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said Israel had taken the steps without the consent of the Federal Government, rejecting them as “null and void and without legal effect.”
The ministry stressed that Hargeisa and the Somaliland region remain an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia, arguing that the establishment of diplomatic relations and permanent diplomatic missions requires the consent of the sovereign state under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
“No unilateral act can circumvent that requirement or alter the status of Somali territory,” the ministry said.
Mogadishu also linked the latest developments to Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December 2025, which it said had already been rejected by the African Union (AU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the League of Arab States and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The Somali government warned that actions encouraging territorial fragmentation and disregarding internationally recognised borders could further escalate tensions in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, amid growing insecurity in the strategically important waterways.
Somalia called on Israel to reverse the measures immediately and urged countries and international organisations to reject them and refrain from any engagement that could lend them legitimacy.
The ministry added that the Federal Government reserves the right to pursue diplomatic, political and legal measures under international law to protect the country’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
“Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected. The unity of the Somali nation is not negotiable,” the statement concluded.
