By Iqbal Jassat
At a time when the rules-based international order is being deliberately fractured by the Trump administration, the decision by Israel to formally recognize the breakaway region of Somaliland, needs to be condemned as a dangerous, highly calculated act of diplomatic opportunism.
By treating the Horn of Africa as a geopolitical chessboard, this move directly undermines the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia and risks plunging an already fragile region into deeper instability.
Today, international solidarity must align firmly with Mogadishu in rejecting this blatant disregard for its territorial integrity.
If the international community has any regard for principles of sovereignty, the challenge it faces is to demand that Somalia’s unified borders be respected and upheld.
Somaliland’s unilateral declaration of independence in 1991, while creating a distinct local administration, does not grant it the right to dissolve a sovereign UN member state from the outside.
By breaking this decades-long consensus, Israel has not acted out of a genuine desire for self-determination or regional development. Instead, it has executed a cynical transactional maneuver designed to secure its own narrow geopolitical and military ambitions.
The strategic motivations behind Israel’s decision are clear. By exploiting Somaliland’s hunger for international legitimacy, Israel aims to project naval power into the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, eyeing a military foothold at the critical port city of Berbera.
This sham diplomacy must be called out, for by encroaching on Somalia’s territory, the settler colonial regime threatens to drag the Horn of Africa into volatile conflicts in pursuit of its agenda: Greater Israel.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamed is entirely justified in branding this external interference as a “naked invasion” of Somali sovereignty.
No nation should be forced to tolerate a foreign military apparatus being established on its internationally recognized soil without the consent of its federal government.
Furthermore, the domestic consequences for the region are deeply alarming. A unified Somalia is essential for maintaining unity and stability.
Fracturing the Somali state and distracting its governance with existential border disputes weakens the collective security apparatus of the entire region.
The global community cannot afford a security vacuum in the Horn of Africa, yet Israel’s unilateral action threatens to create exactly that.
Fortunately, the world is responding with a necessary chorus of condemnation. The African Union, the United Nations Security Council, the Arab League, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation have all declared Israel’s recognition invalid, reaffirming their commitment to a unified Somalia.
Solidarity with Somalia is not merely about supporting a single nation; it is about defending the fundamental principles of international law. If global powers are permitted to arbitrarily carve up sovereign nations to satisfy their own maritime and military desires, the precedent set will threaten vulnerable states everywhere.
For over 30 years, the two regions operated globally, legally, and bureaucratically as a single nation under international law. Passports, international treaties, bilateral agreements, and UN representation were all unified under the Mogadishu-based government.
Mogadishu argues that minor procedural gaps from the 1960s do not erase three decades of state integration and established sovereign reality.
The international community must stand firmly with the Federal Republic of Somalia, reject Israel’s destabilizing opportunism, and send a clear message: Somalia’s sovereignty is absolute, and not for sale.
The African Union (AU) framework provides an ironclad legal barrier against external overreach and unilateral secession.
The most direct prohibitory mechanisms are embedded in the foundational treaty of the continent, the AU Constitutive Act, which binds all member states (including South Africa).
It explicitly commands “respect of borders existing on achievement of independence.” Under this provision, any unilateral adjustment of borders or recognition of a breakaway territory is an illegal act that violates the fundamental treaty governing the continent.
Because Mogadishu has vigorously rejected the separation, any external recognition—whether by Israel or a passive African state—is classified under AU doctrine as an illegal, non-consensual violation of a sovereign state’s territory.
Against this background, South Africa’s official stance is a welcome one for it explicitly differentiates between decolonisation (which restores sovereignty) and secession (which dismantles it), warning that validating Israel’s actions creates a dangerous blueprint for continental fragmentation.
Iqbal Jassat
Executive Member
Media Review Network
Johannesburg
South Africa