Somalia’s UN ambassador said Israel plans to “relocate the Palestinian population from Gaza to the northwestern region of Somalia,” and warned that “this utter disdain for law and morality must be stopped now.”
Abukar Osman, Somalia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, spoke at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on December 29, 2025.
(Photo: screenshot)
Julia Conley
Dec 30, 2025
COMMON DREAMS
At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday regarding Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland, 14 of 15 member states joined Somalia’s permanent representative to the UN in condemning what the ambassador called an “act of aggression”—and at least one denounced the Trump administration’s defense of Israel’s move.
The emergency summit was called days after Israel announced its formal recognition of the region, which declared independence in 1991 after a civil war, but which has not been acknowledged by any other country. Somalia continues to claim Somaliland as part of the country while the region’s leaders say the state is the successor to the former British protectorate.
Israel announced its decision months after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with leaders in Somaliland about a potential deal to trade formal recognition of the region for help with illegally deporting Palestinians from Gaza, and as Israeli policy advisers have argued that Somaliland could be used as a base for military operations against the Houthis in Yemen.
Despite evidence that Israel formally acknowledged Somaliland to further its own military and territorial interests, Israeli Deputy Permanent Representative Jonathan Miller arrived at the meeting Monday with the aim of explaining the “historical context” for the country’s decision.
“Entire cities were destroyed,” said Miller. “Civilians were deliberately targeted. These crimes are now widely recognized as a genocide... Israel’s then-acting permanent representative, Yohanan Bein, submitted this letter to this very council warning of grave human rights violations in Somalia... That history provides essential context for the discussion surrounding Israel’s recognition of Somaliland today.”
Abukar Dahir Osman, Somalia’s permanent representative to the UN, suggested Miller’s comments only added insult to injury, considering Israel has been assaulting Gaza for more than two years—with attacks continuing despite a “ceasefire”—and has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians in what numerous human rights groups and experts have called a genocide.
“If we want to talk about genocide, it’s Israel that’s committed this to our own eyes every day,” said Osman. “[Miller] represents a government that killed more than 70,000 people. Civilians, including children, women, elderly, doctors and other health workers, and patients in hospitals. Destroying infrastructures, deliberately starving people of Gaza.”
“To come to this place, and lecture us [on] humanity and genocide and human rights and independence and democracy. And we know what you’re doing on a daily basis,” said Osman. “It’s just an insult.”
Warning that the recognition of the breakaway region could destabilize Somalia as well as the broader Horn of Africa, the ambassador also expressed concern that Israel plans to “relocate the Palestinian population from Gaza to the northwestern region of Somalia.”
“This utter disdain for law and morality must be stopped now,” said Osman.
Other representatives expressed similar outrage, with the UN envoy for the 22-member Arab League, Maged Abdelfattah Abdelaziz, saying the group would reject “any measures arising from this illegitimate recognition aimed at facilitating forced displacement of the Palestinian people, or exploiting northern Somali ports to establish military bases.”
Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon, deputy UN ambassador for Pakistan, said Israel’s move following its previous comments on potentially deporting Palestinians to Somaliland was “deeply troubling.”
Tammy Bruce, who was sworn in Monday as deputy US representative to the United Nations, was alone in backing Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, though she noted that US policy on the region has not changed.
“Israel has the same right to conduct diplomatic relations as any other sovereign state,” said Bruce. “Earlier this year, several countries, including members of this council, made the unilateral decision to recognize a nonexistent Palestinian state. And yet, no emergency meeting was called to express this council’s outrage.”
More than 150 countries, including a number of major US allies, have recognized Palestinian statehood, with nearly two dozen governments announcing their recognition since Israel began its assault on Gaza in 2023.
Samuel Zbogar, Slovenia’s UN ambassador, pushed back against Bruce’s comparison.
“Slovenia recognized Palestine as an independent state,” he said. “We did so in response to undeniable right of Palestinian people to self-determination. Palestine is not part of any state. It is an illegally occupied territory as declared by the [International Court of Justice], among others. Palestine is also an observer state in this organization.”
“Somaliland, on the other hand, is part of a UN member state and recognizing it goes against Article 2, paragraph 4 of the UN Charter,” he said.
On Tuesday, protests erupted in cities across Somalia, including the capital of Mogadishu, with demonstrators calling for national unity.
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