The UN Security Council has convened an emergency session over Israel's controversial recognition of Somaliland as an independent state. Twenty-one mostly Muslim countries warn of serious consequences for stability in the Horn of Africa. The recognition came just days before Somalia assumes the Council's rotating presidency.
The UN Security Council will gather on Monday in New York for an emergency session regarding Israel's decision to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state. Israel became the first country worldwide on Friday to acknowledge this breakaway region in northern Somalia, which has been practically independent for over three decades and has only a few million inhabitants.
Ahead of the meeting, 21 mostly Muslim countries along with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation issued a joint statement branding Israel's move as a «serious violation of the principles of international law.» They warned of «serious consequences» for peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and globally. Published by Qatar, the declaration also rejects any link to efforts to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
The Somali government described the recognition as a «deliberate» and «illegal» attack on its sovereignty. Somaliland's Foreign Minister Abdirahman Dahir Adam told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 that the step has nothing to do with the Gaza conflict. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that the recognition was made «in the spirit of the Abraham Accords,» which in 2020 under US President Donald Trump led to normalization between Israel and Arab states like the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. The «Times of Israel» noted that the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco did not sign the declaration.
The timing is sensitive, as Somalia is set to assume the rotating presidency of the Security Council. The session aims to address the international tensions.