Muscat (Somalia Today) — Oman has reaffirmed its support for Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity, rejecting any entities outside the Somali state in a diplomatic boost for Mogadishu after Israel’s recognition of the breakaway Somaliland region.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi delivered the position during talks in Muscat with Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali, who is on an official visit to the Gulf sultanate.
The Omani foreign ministry said in a statement that the two ministers discussed bilateral ties, ways to expand cooperation and developments in the Horn of Africa, where Somalia is seeking wider regional backing against Israel’s decision to recognise Somaliland and appoint a diplomatic envoy to the region.
Al-Busaidi reaffirmed Oman’s “firm” support for the “unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the Federal Republic of Somalia, as well as its “non-recognition of any entities outside the framework of the Somali state”.
The wording marked one of Oman’s clearest recent statements on Somalia’s sovereignty and placed Muscat firmly behind Mogadishu’s position that Israel’s recognition of Somaliland has no legal standing and that any international engagement with the region must remain within the framework of the Somali federal state.
Diplomatic support
Somalia’s foreign ministry said the talks focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and expanding cooperation in several sectors to support “strong partnership and common interests”.
It said the two sides exchanged views on regional developments, particularly in the Horn of Africa, and stressed the need to coordinate regional and international efforts to promote security, stability and sustainable development.
Abdisalam welcomed Oman’s position and expressed Somalia’s appreciation for the sultanate’s “constructive diplomatic role” and its efforts to promote dialogue, reconciliation and stability in the region.
Senior officials from both countries attended the meeting, including Oman’s head of the Arab department, Sheikh Faisal bin Omar al-Marhoon, and Somalia’s ambassador to Oman, Bashir Hassan Haji.
The statement comes as Somalia steps up a diplomatic campaign against any move it sees as undermining its sovereignty, particularly after Israel became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland as an independent state.
Somalia has denounced the move as illegal and urged partners in the Arab world, Africa and the wider Muslim world to reject any action that treats Somaliland as a state.
Somaliland declared independence in 1991 after the collapse of Somalia’s central government. It has built its own institutions, held elections and maintained relative stability, but it has failed for decades to secure broad international recognition.
Mogadishu says the region remains part of Somalia and insists that its status can only be addressed through a Somali-led constitutional and political process.
Israeli recognition
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland has sharply raised the stakes of the dispute, turning a long-running Somali constitutional issue into a wider regional diplomatic confrontation.
Mogadishu has accused Israel of violating Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, while Somaliland has presented the recognition as a breakthrough in its three-decade campaign for statehood.
The dispute deepened further after Israel moved to appoint a diplomatic envoy to Somaliland, prompting joint condemnation by several Arab and Muslim countries, including Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia and Jordan.
The ministers described the Israeli move as a “blatant violation” of Somalia’s sovereignty and warned that it could set a dangerous precedent in the Horn of Africa.
The African Union has also rejected Israel’s Somaliland move, reaffirming that it does not recognise Somaliland as an independent state and warning against unilateral steps that could undermine Somalia’s unity.
For Mogadishu, Oman’s statement adds another important Arab voice to a growing diplomatic front against recognition of Somaliland.
Somali officials say the issue is not only about Somaliland, but about protecting the principle that African borders cannot be redrawn through unilateral recognition or deals with regional administrations.
By rejecting “any entities outside the framework of the Somali state”, Muscat gave Mogadishu another public endorsement at a sensitive moment in its campaign to contain Somaliland’s diplomatic gains and push back against Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region.
