The African Union (AU) and a dozen governments have condemned Israel’s decision to appoint a diplomatic envoy to Somaliland.
“The Union does not recognize Somaliland as an independent state,” reads a statement issued by the AU Commission yesterday in response to Israel’s appointment of its first ambassador to Somaliland last week.
On April 15, 2026, Israel appointed Michael Lotem, former ambassador to Kenya, as its first non-resident ambassador to the Republic of Somaliland, four months after becoming the first to recognize Somaliland.
The governments of a dozen countries, including Somalia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt, have condemned the move, characterizing it as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia.”
