Egypt Escalates African Diplomatic Efforts Over Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland, Calls for Emergency Session

International Voice – December 29, 2025

Egypt continued for a third consecutive day its efforts opposing Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland, as Cairo maintains a joint defense agreement with Somalia.

Experts described Egypt’s moves as a calculated African diplomatic escalation against the Israeli recognition without reaching the point of confrontation. They said Cairo is expected to work through international and African institutions, as well as Red Sea littoral states, to coordinate positions and increase pressure against the recognition, while the possibility of Egyptian mediation to promote a Somali-Somali dialogue remains open.

On Monday, Egypt called for an emergency session of the African Union Peace and Security Council to address Israel’s recognition of Somaliland. The request was made by Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during a ministerial session of the council held virtually.

Abdelatty reiterated “Egypt’s complete rejection of the Israeli recognition of the so-called Somaliland,” describing it as a blatant violation of the principles of international law, the United Nations Charter and the Constitutive Act of the African Union, and as an action that undermines regional and international peace and security, particularly in the Horn of Africa.

He called for an emergency session of the African Union Peace and Security Council to discuss what he described as a dangerous development, reaffirm Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity, and reject unilateral Israeli measures that, according to Cairo’s position, threaten regional and international peace and security.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced on Friday the formal recognition of the “Republic of Somaliland” as an independent and sovereign state. The region had not received formal recognition since declaring its separation from Somalia in 1991, prompting a series of separate and joint Arab and Egyptian responses.

Egypt expressed its rejection of the Israeli recognition in two joint statements with countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey, in addition to a separate Egyptian statement reiterating the same position, during Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Mohamed Hegazy, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs and a former assistant foreign minister, said Egypt’s latest call was linked to efforts to escalate the African response to the Israeli recognition through the African Union Peace and Security Council, the body responsible for addressing security threats on the continent.

Hegazy said Israel’s recognition threatens one of the African Union’s central principles, the “sanctity of borders.” He argued that Egypt’s initiative seeks to highlight the risks posed by the decision to the African continent as a direct threat to African security, particularly because, in his assessment, it could encourage increased activity by al-Shabaab in the region.

Abdullah Ahmed Ibrahim, an expert on African affairs and director of the East Africa Studies Center in Nairobi, said Egypt and Somalia have strategic relations and a joint defense agreement, adding that Cairo’s actions are driven primarily by Egyptian national and broader Arab considerations.

He said any Ethiopian or Israeli role in the Bab al-Mandab through the breakaway Somali region would, in his assessment, threaten the security of Egypt and Red Sea states. He described Egypt’s push to consolidate the African position as important alongside potential international steps at the UN Security Council.

Egypt’s position also coincided with Cairo’s participation on Sunday in an emergency meeting of Arab League representatives. The meeting decided to submit a request to the UN Security Council seeking a firm position on Israel’s recognition of the northwestern Somali region known as Somaliland, while emphasizing Mogadishu’s right to legitimately defend its territory.

The Security Council is expected to consider the political and legal implications of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state following an urgent request from Somalia’s federal government, which described the Israeli move as a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Egypt had previously strongly opposed any Ethiopian presence in Somaliland after the two sides signed an agreement in early 2024 allowing Addis Ababa access through the Red Sea. In August of the same year, Cairo concluded a military agreement with Somalia and provided it with equipment and weapons the following month.

Hegazy ruled out the crisis developing into a confrontation. He expected Egypt to continue working through international and African institutions and the council of Red Sea littoral states to coordinate positions and increase pressure against the recognition, while potentially pursuing mediation and a Somali-Somali dialogue before moving to any new stage.

Despite Egypt’s escalation, Ibrahim also said he did not expect the situation to reach the point of confrontation, noting that Egypt and Israel are neighboring states with diplomatic relations and that the issue lies outside their borders.

He added that Egyptian pressure would seek a solution that protects Egypt’s national security and the security of Red Sea states, based on the view that Somalia’s stability is part of broader Arab national security. Israel, he said, would meanwhile be watching Arab positions, particularly Egypt’s, in determining whether to freeze its approach or escalate further.