Most members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) have condemned Israel’s decision to recognise Somaliland as an independent state, warning that the move could destabilise Somalia and have wider implications for Palestinians.
The condemnation came during an emergency UNSC meeting in New York convened after Israel last week became the first country to formally recognise the breakaway region of Somalia. Fourteen of the council’s 15 members criticised the move, with the United States the only member not to issue a condemnation, though it said its own policy on Somaliland remained unchanged.
Somalia’s UN ambassador, Abu Bakr Dahir Osman, described Israel’s action as an “act of aggression”, warning that it threatened Somalia’s territorial integrity and regional stability in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. He also expressed concern that the recognition could be linked to plans to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza to parts of northwestern Somalia.
“This utter disdain for law and morality must be stopped now,” Osman told the council.
The US deputy representative to the UN, Tammy Bruce, defended Israel’s right to establish diplomatic relations but stressed that Washington had not recognised Somaliland and had no change in policy to announce.
Israel’s deputy UN ambassador, Jonathan Miller, told the council that the recognition was not a hostile act against Somalia and did not rule out future dialogue, describing it as “an opportunity”.
Several countries and blocs, including the Arab League, China, the United Kingdom, Pakistan and South Africa, rejected Israel’s move, reaffirming Somalia’s sovereignty and warning against encouraging separatism. China’s UN envoy said no country should support separatist forces to advance geopolitical interests.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 following a civil war but has not been internationally recognised until Israel’s recent decision.
