Somalia rejects Israeli ambassador accreditation in Hargeisa
The ministry demanded that Israel reverse the measures and said Somalia reserves the right to take diplomatic, political and legal action.
Somalia has rejected Israel's claimed accreditation of an ambassador in Hargeisa and the laying of a foundation stone for an embassy, Somalia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement issued on Tuesday, Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement.
The ministry said the actions were taken without the approval of the Federal Government of Somalia and amounted to a blatant violation of the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity.
It said Somalia rejects the measures and considers them null, void and without legal effect.
The ministry said Hargeisa and the Somaliland region remain an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
It added that establishing diplomatic relations and permanent diplomatic missions requires the consent of the sovereign state, as stipulated by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
No unilateral action can bypass that requirement or alter the legal status of Somali territories, the ministry stressed.
The ministry described the steps as an extension of Israel's recognition of Somaliland in December 2025, which it said was illegal and had been rejected by the African Union, IGAD, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Amid escalating insecurity in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the ministry warned that actions encouraging fragmentation and disregarding internationally recognized borders threaten to deepen tensions in an already fragile region.
Somalia demanded that Israel immediately reverse the measures and called on all countries and international organizations to reject them and avoid any engagement that would grant them legitimacy.
The federal government reserves the right to take all appropriate diplomatic, political and legal measures under international law to defend the country's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, the ministry said.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but it has not been widely recognized by other countries.
