NAIROBI, Kenya — Africa's regional governance bodies on Saturday rejected the recognition of Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent nation by Israel a day earlier, the first by any country in more than 30 years.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 during a descent into conflict and, despite having its own government and currency, had never been recognized by any nation in the world until Friday.
African Union Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said any attempt to undermine Somalia's sovereignty risks peace and stability on the continent.
He said the commission ''firmly rejects any initiative or action aimed at recognizing Somaliland as an independent entity, recalling that Somaliland remains an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia.''
Somalia's federal government on Friday strongly rejected what it described as an unlawful move by Israel to recognize Somaliland, reaffirming that the northern region remains an integral part of Somalia's sovereign territory.
It was not known why Israel made the declaration at this time or whether it was expecting something in return.
Earlier this year, U.S. and Israeli officials told The Associated Press that Israel had approached Somaliland about taking in Palestinians from Gaza as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan at the time to resettle the territory's population. The United States has since abandoned that plan.
Netanyahu's office said Friday that he, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, and Somaliland's president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, signed a joint declaration ''in the spirit of the Abraham Accords.''
