{"id":6044,"date":"2026-05-21T20:34:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/home\/arab-warning-over-israeli-influence-in-the-horn-of-africa"},"modified":"2026-05-22T00:13:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T00:13:15","slug":"arab-warning-over-israeli-influence-in-the-horn-of-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/arab-warning-over-israeli-influence-in-the-horn-of-africa","title":{"rendered":"Arab Warning over Israeli Influence in the Horn of Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. <\/strong> <\/span>The Arab League has warned against Israeli infiltration in the Horn of Africa and its serious implications for the region, particularly following Israel’s recognition of the separatist region of Somaliland.<\/p>\n

This statement was made by the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in light of Somaliland’s announcement to open an embassy in occupied Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

Aboul Gheit condemned, in the strongest terms, reports regarding the northwest region of the Federal Republic of Somalia, known as “Somaliland,” opening an embassy in occupied Jerusalem with the Israeli occupying state.<\/p>\n

He deemed this step unacceptable and legally void from all aspects, asserting that it has no legal effect and represents an unacceptable provocation to both the Arab and Islamic worlds.<\/p>\n

Jamal Rushdi, the official spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the Arab League, stated that this rapprochement reflects the extent of isolation faced by the Israeli occupying authority and its desperate attempts to elicit invalid recognitions from entities or regions that lack legitimate existence.<\/p>\n

Rushdi attributed the Israeli stance to efforts aimed at solidifying an illegal occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip, while covering up the crimes committed daily against the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

The spokesperson emphasized that the insistence on this approach constitutes a blatant assault on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia, a clear violation of the principle of respecting the unity of states and the integrity of their territories, and an unacceptable infringement on the sovereignty of a member state of the Arab League, the African Union, and the United Nations.<\/p>\n

Rushdi warned that these movements aimed at infiltrating the Horn of Africa threaten to deepen the sources of tension and instability, reiterating the steadfast Arab position supporting the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and firmly rejecting any attempts to entrench a separatist reality or establish illegal relations with entities not recognized by international law.<\/p>\n

The Somaliland ambassador announced that Hargeisa will soon open an embassy in Jerusalem, following Israel becoming the first country to officially recognize the unilaterally declared republic.<\/p>\n

In return, Israel is expected to open an embassy in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, as mentioned by Ambassador Mohamed Haji in a post on platform X.<\/p>\n

Israel recognized Somaliland as an independent sovereign state in December 2025, a move rejected by Somalia, which described it as a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty.<\/p>\n

Somaliland has enjoyed effective self-governance and relative peace and stability since 1991, when Somalia descended into civil war, but the separatist region has not received recognition from any other country until December 2025.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Somalia has mobilized international efforts against any country recognizing Somaliland. The former British protectorate hopes that Israel’s recognition will encourage other countries to follow suit, enhancing its diplomatic influence and expanding its access to international markets.<\/p>\n

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated that the opening of the embassy in Jerusalem will be another important step towards strengthening relations with Somaliland. He added that once opened, the Somaliland embassy will be the eighth embassy in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

Most countries maintain their embassies in Israel, specifically in Tel Aviv, although the United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem during President Donald Trump’s first term. Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and a few other countries have also established embassies there.<\/p>\n

The roots of the “Somaliland” issue date back to 1960 when the region, previously under British colonial rule, gained independence for a few days before the independence of Somalia, which was under Italian administration, leading both parties to later enter into a political union.<\/p>\n

However, tensions escalated between the north and south of the country, with accusations from northern politicians of political and economic marginalization, leading to armed conflict in the late 1980s. This was when the Somali army, led by former President Mohamed Siad Barre, launched a wide-ranging military campaign against northern cities, most notably Hargeisa.<\/p>\n

Following the collapse of the central government in Mogadishu in 1991, the Somali National Movement unilaterally declared the region’s independence under the name “Republic of Somaliland.” Since then, the region’s authorities have managed their affairs separately from the federal government.<\/p>\n

Despite lacking international recognition, Somaliland has managed to build its own political and administrative institutions, including a presidency, an elected parliament, security forces, a local currency, and an independent constitution.<\/p>\n

The significant rapprochement between Israel and the separatist region is viewed as a diplomatic development that may encourage other parties to engage with Somaliland, potentially bolstered by developments in the Iranian conflict, particularly from Washington’s side.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Mogadishu sees these steps as a direct challenge to the unity of the country, making the issue likely to lead to further tensions in the upcoming phase.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Africa<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. The Arab League has warned against Israeli infiltration in the Horn of Africa and its serious implications for the region, particularly following Israel’s recognition of the separatist region of Somaliland. This statement was made by the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in light of Somaliland’s announcement to open an embassy in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":6043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[120],"class_list":{"0":"post-6044","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-policy","8":"tag-africa"},"yoast_head":"\nArab Warning over Israeli Influence in the Horn of Africa - Africa Press English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Arab League has warned against Israeli infiltration in the Horn of Africa and its serious implications\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/arab-warning-over-israeli-influence-in-the-horn-of-africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Arab Warning over Israeli Influence in the Horn of Africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Arab League has warned against Israeli infiltration in the Horn of Africa and its serious implications\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/arab-warning-over-israeli-influence-in-the-horn-of-africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Africa Press English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T20:34:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-22T00:13:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1779408693.356251.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"535\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/arab-warning-over-israeli-influence-in-the-horn-of-africa#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/arab-warning-over-israeli-influence-in-the-horn-of-africa\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Arab Warning over Israeli Influence in the Horn of Africa\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-21T20:34:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-22T00:13:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/arab-warning-over-israeli-influence-in-the-horn-of-africa\"},\"wordCount\":806,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/arab-warning-over-israeli-influence-in-the-horn-of-africa#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1779408693.356251.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/arab-warning-over-israeli-influence-in-the-horn-of-africa#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/arab-warning-over-israeli-influence-in-the-horn-of-africa\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/arab-warning-over-israeli-influence-in-the-horn-of-africa\",\"name\":\"Arab Warning over Israeli Influence in the Horn of Africa - 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