Somalia rejects accreditation of Israeli ambassador to Somaliland
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Mali Actu
Somalia’s Foreign Ministry declared the accreditation of an Israeli ambassador to Somaliland null and void, saying it was decided without Mogadishu’s consent. The government called on Israel to reverse the measure and urged states and international organisations not to legitimise it, according to its statement of 3 November 2026.
Somalia’s Foreign Ministry rejected on Tuesday 3 November 2026 the accreditation of an Israeli ambassador to Somaliland, a territory Mogadishu considers part of the Federal Republic of Somalia. In a statement, it described the move as null and void because it lacked the federal government’s consent.
The ministry called on Israel to immediately reverse the measure and urged states and international organisations not to grant it legitimacy. It invoked the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, under which the establishment of diplomatic relations and permanent missions requires the consent of the sovereign state.
Mogadishu said the accreditation followed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December 2025, which the ministry said had been rejected by the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The Somali government reserved the right to pursue diplomatic, political and legal channels.
The protest came after Somaliland’s president received Israeli ambassador Michael Lotem on 1 November, a meeting announced by the territory’s authorities.
