Somalia | Pakistan

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly rejected Israel’s decision to recognise Somaliland, calling it a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and convened an emergency meeting of its foreign ministers to discuss the issue.

The Israeli foreign minister arrived in Somaliland on Tuesday in a high-profile visit, condemned by Somalia as an “unauthorised incursion”, after Israel recognised the breakaway region in the Horn of Africa. Israel announced last month it was officially recognising Somaliland, a first for the self-proclaimed republic since it declared independence from Somalia in 1991. Somaliland enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden and has its own currency, passport and army, but has struggled to win international recognition, amid fears of provoking Somalia and encouraging other separatist movements in Africa. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, whose delegation was welcomed at the airport by senior government officials, said recognising Somaliland had been “the moral thing to do”. Somaliland President Abdirahman Abdullahi Mohamed praised Israel’s “courageous” decision, and said it would open up great economic and development opportunities. “It promotes the strategic interest partnership of the two countries,” ...

Pakistan on Saturday rejected Israel‘s recognition of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, terming it an attempt to undermine Somalia’s sovereignty. Israel became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state on Friday, with Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, saying his state will join the Abraham Accords. The decision could reshape regional dynamics and test Somalia’s longstanding opposition to secession. “Pakistan strongly condemns any attempts to undermine the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and rejects, in this regard, the announcement made by Israel recognising the independence of the so-called Somaliland region of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement. “Such illegal and provocative actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law and not only threaten the peace and stability of the brotherly country of Somalia, but also that of the entire region,” it added. Isl...

ISLAMABAD - The Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East & Africa (CAMEA) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), in collaboration with Pakistan Africa Institute for Development and Research (PAIDAR), yesterday organized an event to celebrate Somalia’s Independence Day.