The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) has called for the immediate revocation of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state.

The call follows deliberations by the Council at ministerial level at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, held to consider the situation in Somalia and the operations of the AU Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).

Israel formally recognised the statehood of Somalia’s autonomous northern region, Somaliland, in December 2025.

Since then, several high-level diplomatic visits have taken place between the two sides, including one by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in January of this year.

The recognition drew condemnation from the African Union and its individual member states.

The AU Peace and Security Council said it rejects all forms of external interference aimed at dividing Somalia and condemned “any action by whomsoever which undermines the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Somalia”. 

It further stated that any attempt to alter borders by force or through illegal means, or to undermine the unity and territorial integrity of an AU member state, contravenes the Constitutive Act and sets a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace, security and stability across the continent.

The Peace and Security Council, meeting at ministerial level, convened ahead of the 39th AU Summit, which is set to begin on Saturday.

Report: Blanche Goreses