Africa: The African Union has frozen debate on Somaliland – political solutions are needed

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Recognition of Israel in Somaliland has generated extraordinary cohesion in Africa and beyond, but condemnation has not resulted in a consensual solution.

Israel’s December 2025 recognition of Somaliland, a breakaway northern part of Somalia, sparked a series of political and diplomatic shocks in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. In a region already facing acute tensions amid global geopolitical reconfigurations, how the African Union deals with the fallout will be key.

Somalia rejected this step as a violation of its territorial integrity. Most regional and international organizations including the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the United Nations, the European Union, and the League of Arab States condemned Israel’s actions, citing violations of international law, the Constitutive Act of the African Union and the Charter of the United Nations.

A similar reaction was made by some countries known to oppose Somaliland’s independence, such as Djibouti, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Others remained silent in a “wait and see” attitude.

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For the African Union, any unilateral claim to sovereignty constitutes a nuisance. Its highest decision-making body, the Peace and Security Council, is strong condemned Israel’s position, saying: “No party has the authority or standing to change the territorial composition of an African Union member state.” But this strong formulation froze the debate without providing a consensual solution.

Somaliland’s quest for international recognition symbolizes different dimensions of the post-colonial African state. It raises questions about the criteria of sovereignty and has legal, political, geopolitical and regional implications.

Somaliland gained its independence from Great Britain on 26 June 1960. After Somalia gained its independence from an Italian-administered United Nations trusteeship on 1 July 1960, the Republic of Somalia was formed as a federation of the former British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland. However, after the outbreak of civil war in 1969 and the collapse of Somalia’s central government, Somaliland declared its independence in 1991.

From a strict legal perspective, the African Union often cites the commitment of its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity, to blurring the boundaries inherited from colonialism. This principle was established in 1964 in Cairo to avoid the proliferation of irredentist claims that could have destabilized the newly created states. Cairo a permit It has since become a cornerstone of the African Union’s normative framework.

However, advocates of Somaliland’s independence use the same principle to justify their quest for sovereignty. The entity’s independence was achieved within the borders of British Somaliland. The decision to form a federation with Somalia was its own, so supporters say Somaliland has the right to reverse its decision.

Advocates of the country’s independence also pointed to the relative stability and regular transfer of power in Somaliland’s elections.

Instead of filing a legal case, the African Union would be better served by presenting a political argument based on respect for the territorial integrity of its member states. This paves the way for political solutions as the preferred means of resolving internal tensions. The African Union also fears setting a precedent that could have far-reaching consequences in the Horn of Africa, the only region where secession has led to the creation of new states.

Eritrea and South Sudan seceded from Ethiopia and Sudan in 1993 and 2011, respectively. The daunting challenges faced by these two newly established states in the post-liberation phase, characterized by authoritarian repression and violent internal conflict, do not serve Somaliland’s cause.

New states in the region tend to inherit the same problems as pre-existing states. Its structural foundations were compromised long before independence was demanded. As a result, the new states fail to achieve their intended goals, due to many factors, including the act of secession itself.

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland has generated an extraordinary degree of cohesion between regional actors and AU member states against Somaliland. This is because it stems from the actions of an external actor and violates a sacred principle of the African Union: respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

For the African Union, the issue of Somaliland represents a particularly acute challenge: it has affirmed a normative principle in confronting the crisis, but it lacks the practical means to enforce this principle. At a time when the AU’s peace and security framework is under review, member states must propose innovative ways to enable the AU Commission to enforce its principles.

The Somaliland issue is also a reminder that, despite the African Union’s presence in Somalia since 2007, it has allowed the issue to fester until it has become vulnerable to exploitation by external actors.

For Somalia, Somaliland’s quest for international recognition, coupled with its strong domestic support, would directly undermine Somali nationalism, which is the country’s underlying state ideology. Somali nationalism is based on the idea that all Somalis should be united into one nation, as they share a common identity, culture and language.

The pursuit of this political project led to the outbreak of wars in East Africa. Over the years, Somalia has gradually abandoned its ambition to unite the Somali-inhabited territories of Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti.

In this context, the entrenched separatist project in Somaliland not only questions Somalia’s ability to survive within its current borders, but it also challenges the foundations of Somali unity, an ideology that is based on contested assumptions.