Eritrea has issued a forceful diplomatic response to Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland as an independent state, invoking what it described as an analogy with the China–Taiwan question and calling for urgent action at the United Nations Security Council.

In a separate press release, Eritrean authorities said the move was “neither sudden nor accidental” and warned that it has been “brewing for some time now to stoke dangerous regional and global crises and mayhem.” Eritrea argued that the issue “warrants unequivocal response at the level of the UN Security Council and its members,” and appealed to China to “shoulder its moral responsibilities,” citing parallels with the Taiwan issue.

Israel announced on 26 December that it would officially recognize Somaliland, a region in northern Somalia that declared independence in 1991 but remains internationally unrecognized. The African Union and United Nations have consistently affirmed Somalia’s territorial integrity.

Following Israel’s announcement, a bloc of 21 Arab, Islamic, and African states issued a joint statement on 27 December rejecting the recognition. The foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, The Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Türkiye, and Yemen, alongside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, described the recognition as an unprecedented measure that threatens regional and international peace and security. They condemned it as a “grave violation of international law and the United Nations Charter,” reaffirmed support for Somalia’s unity and sovereignty, and rejected any linkage of the measure to efforts to forcibly displace the Palestinian people. Eritrea’s statement reiterated that the recognition is not an isolated development, warning that it risks fueling broader crises and underscoring the need for multilateral action to uphold international law.

The move has also triggered public protests in Somalia. According to Anadolu News Agency, hundreds of people gathered on Sunday in Mogadishu to denounce Israel’s recognition. Demonstrators sang the Somali national anthem and chanted slogans emphasizing Somalia’s territorial integrity, including “Somalia is indivisible” and “Somaliland is Somalia.” Security forces were deployed to maintain order.

One protester, Mohamed Abor, told Anadolu, “There is no Somali land that can be given to Israel or any other country. Somalia is one and will remain one,” adding that Somalis are prepared to make any sacrifice to defend their country.

Taken together, Eritrea’s diplomatic response, the joint statement from 21 Arab, Islamic, and African states, and domestic protests in Somalia signal mounting regional and international opposition to Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, highlighting calls for adherence to sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international law.

Last week, It was reported that African Union, IGAD, Arab League, GCC reject Israel’s recognition of Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland.

The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has rejected any move to recognize Somaliland as an independent state, and reaffirmed the AU’s “unwavering commitment to the unity and sovereignty” of Somalia.

In a statement issued in response to what he described as “recent developments relating to Somaliland,” Youssouf said the African Union “unequivocally reaffirms the longstanding and consistent position of the African Union,” which it said is anchored in the principles of its Constitutive Act.

Likewise, President Trump told The Post that he won’t quickly follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recognizing the independence of Somaliland — saying he has to “study” his longtime Mideast ally’s pitch on behalf of the breakaway republic.

Israel on Friday became the world’s first country to recognize Somaliland’s split from anarchic Somalia and Netanyahu vowed to deliver a message to Trump, with whom he is meeting Monday.

“I’ll communicate to President Trump your willingness and desire to join the Abraham Accords,” Netanyahu told Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi in a video call celebrating the diplomatic breakthrough.

But Trump said that he wasn’t swayed and expects his talks with Netanyahu will prioritize the Gaza Strip, where Trump brokered an October cease-fire and now chairs a United Nations-approved Board of Peace to oversee implementation and reconstruction.

“Just say, ‘No, comma, not at this —,’” Trump told The Post in a phone interview, before modifying his answer on recognizing Somaliland to: “Just say, ‘No.’”

“Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?” Trump asked aloud from his golf course in West Palm Beach.Regional and international bodies, including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the Chinese government, have rejected Israel’s reported recognition of Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland, reaffirming their support for Somalia’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity. AS