By Abukar Osman - Reporter
Somalia, 6 January 2026 The League of Arab States has strongly condemned the visit by Israel’s foreign minister to Hargeisa, describing it as a blatant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
In a statement issued on Monday, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, said the visit represents a futile attempt to legitimize the secession of northwestern Somalia and pass off Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an established reality.
Aboul Gheit reiterated the League’s categorical rejection of any official or quasi-official dealings with the authorities of the secessionist region outside the framework of Somalia’s federal government, stressing that such actions constitute a flagrant violation of Somalia’s unity and sovereignty. He warned that these moves risk undermining regional peace and security, while exacerbating political tensions in Somalia, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the wider Horn of Africa.
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The Secretary-General’s spokesperson, Gamal Roshdy, said the Arab League Council had already deemed the move null, void, and unacceptable during its meeting on 28 December 2025. He added that the Council viewed the step as an attempt to facilitate plans for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people and to open Somali ports for the establishment of foreign military bases.
Roshdy further stated that the Arab League would continue to provide political and technical support to Somali state institutions in confronting attempts to create new flashpoints of conflict that threaten the country’s stability and unity, or endanger vital Arab maritime corridors.
