Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has sharply criticized the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, calling both issues threats to international law and regional stability. Speaking on Saturday at the 17th Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, Mohamud described the situation in Gaza as “another level of inhumane engagement” and urged the international community to keep the crisis at the top of the global agenda despite other competing challenges.
He also condemned Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland, Somalia’s self-declared breakaway region, as an independent state. “This reckless and fundamentally wrong and illegal action under international law undermines stability, security and trade in a way that affects the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and the wider world,” he said. Somaliland declared independence in 1991 after the collapse of Somalia’s central government, developing its own political institutions, security forces and currency. However, it has lacked broad international recognition, and Mogadishu continues to consider it part of Somalia’s territory.
Mohamud used the forum to highlight Somalia’s ongoing fight against militant groups, including al-Qaida-linked al-Shabaab and Islamic State affiliates. Since returning to office in 2022, he has pledged “total war” against the insurgents, whose attacks over the years have killed and injured thousands. “Our sacrifices in this endeavour are not for Somalia alone,” he said. “They are for the security and stability of the region and the wider world.”
