Somalia Bets on Solar and Wind as Power Demand Grows

By Felicity Bradstock - Jan 11, 2026

• Somalia has vast solar and wind potential but remains heavily reliant on diesel, with limited electricity access, especially in rural areas.
• 
  
• International funding and government-backed renewable energy plans aim to expand clean power, lower costs, and support economic growth.
• 
  
• Alongside renewables, Somalia is pursuing offshore oil and gas exploration with Turkey, signaling a dual-track energy strategy.
• 
  

Somalia has lagged many other African countries when it comes to energy output, despite its strong potential for renewable energy production. Much of Somalia’s population still does not have access to electricity or clean cooking fuels. However, greater investment in the expansion of Somalia’s wind and solar power sectors, with support from strong regulatory frameworks, could help rapidly transform the country into a regional clean energy power. 

Somalia has an installed capacity of approximately 400 MW, with roughly 300 MW coming from diesel and 100 MW from solar and wind power. Around 80 percent of Somalia’s urban population, and just 24 percent of its rural communities, have access to electricity, according to data from the World Bank. Meanwhile, roughly 80 percent of Somalia’s energy consumption for cooking still comes from biomass fuels, which leads to greater deforestation and biodiversity loss. 

Somalia is considered to be a climate-vulnerable state, and developing its renewable energy sector is key to reducing environmental degradation and driving down poverty. Somalia has significant renewable energy potential, with solar irradiance averaging 5–7 kWh/m²/day. However, to develop its natural resources, the government must establish favourable policies and regulatory frameworks, as well as attract higher levels of private investment to the country’s energy sector. 

The Somalian government’s National Transformation Plan (NTP) sets out ambitious clean energy targets, such as increasing electricity coverage from the current 69.1 percent to 80 percent and decreasing the disparity between urban and rural areas. In October, Somalia’s Federal Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, in collaboration with UNDP, held a two-day stakeholder engagement workshop in Mogadishu to validate and advance Somalia’s renewable energy roadmap. 

Somalia’s State Minister for Energy and Water Resources, Mohamed Abdullahi Farah, also attended a key ministerial meeting of the International Solar Alliance in Accra, Ghana, in September to advance Somalia’s solar ambitions and foster greater regional collaboration. 

In December, the African Development Fund approved a $23.36 million grant package to expand access to clean electricity in Bosaso, in north-eastern Somalia, to address chronic shortages and reduce electricity costs. 

The Rehabilitation and Expansion of the Bosaso Power Grid project will be financed by the African Development Bank Group and the African Development Fund. It will include the development of new solar power generation capacity, the expansion of the distribution network, and the modernization of metering systems. It will also support the rollout of solar home systems for those who do not have access to the grid. 

The Bank Group’s Lead Operations Advisor for Somalia, Bubacarr Sankareh, said that he expects the project to deliver transformative benefits. Sankareh explained, “This project will change lives in Bosaso for families and small businesses. It will make electricity cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable, and is also a major step toward a stronger and more resilient energy future for Somalia.”

Providing more stable access to electricity is expected to support economic growth by helping businesses operate more reliably. The project will also support short- and long-term job creation in the region, and is also expected decrease reliance on diesel, which will reduce emissions and support the country’s sustainability goals.

Other international institutions are also contributing to the expansion of Somalia’s renewable energy sector. In October, the European Union announced funds of $638.6 million for projects focused on modernising power grids, increasing access to renewable energy, and supporting clean energy projects in nine African countries, with Somalia set to receive $53.3 million to improve access to affordable renewable energy.

As several international institutions encourage Somalia to expand its renewable energy sector, the government also intends to exploit its fossil fuel reserves. In December, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and Somali Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed discussed the potential for cooperation in hydrocarbon exploitation activities in Somalia’s land and sea territory.

Bayraktar stated at the time, “We are building Türkiye-Somalia energy cooperation on solid foundations. As Türkiye, we view Somalia as one of our most important partners in Africa, and we believe that our cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector will hopefully open the doors to a new era in the near future.”

At the beginning of January, Bayraktar announced plans to launch oil and gas exploration activities off the coast of Somalia. The drilling vessel Cagri Bay is expected to arrive in Somali waters in February. The project will be carried out as part of a bilateral energy agreement signed between Turkey and Somalia in 2024, and the project will be Turkey’s first overseas deepwater oil and gas exploration venture. Full-scale drilling is expected to commence in 2026, according to Bayraktar, and will extend to onshore areas. 

Despite having some of the lowest access to electricity in the world, Somalia has significant renewable energy potential. Developing its clean energy sector will require government support, in terms of policy and regulation, as well as high levels of private investment and expertise. Meanwhile, Somalia is collaborating with Turkey to explore its hydrocarbon potential. 

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

'Why now?' Dismay as US considers troop pullout from Somalia

CARA ANNA
Thu, November 26, 2020

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — No country has been involved in Somalia’s future as much as the United States. Now the Trump administration is thinking of withdrawing the several hundred U.S. military troops from the Horn of Africa nation at what some experts call the worst possible time.

Three decades of chaos, from warlords to al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabab to the emergence of an Islamic State-linked group, have ripped apart the country that only in the past few years has begun to find its footing. The U.S. Embassy returned to Somalia just last year, 28 years after diplomats and staffers fled.

Somalia faces a tense election season that begins in the next few weeks to decide the presidency and parliament. United Nations experts say al-Shabab, supporting its 5,000 to 10,000 fighters on a rich diet of extorting businesses and civilians, is improving its bomb-making skills. And an ever bigger military force, the African Union’s 19,000-strong AMISOM, has begun its own withdrawal from a country whose forces are widely considered unready to assume full responsibility for security.

It is not clear whether President Donald Trump will order the withdrawal of the some 700 U.S. military forces from Somalia, following his orders for Afghanistan and Iraq, or whether the reported urge will pass before he leaves office in January. But the idea is taken seriously, even as U.S. drone strikes are expected to continue in Somalia against al-Shabab and IS fighters from neighboring Djibouti and Kenya — where al-Shabab carried out a deadly attack against U.S. forces early this year.

The U.S. Africa Command has seen a “definitive shift” this year in al-Shabab's focus to attack U.S. interests in the region, a new report by the Department of Defense inspector general said Wednesday — and the command says al-Shabab is Africa's most “dangerous” and “imminent” threat.

Here’s what’s at stake:

COUNTERTERRORISM

“The first thing ... it’s disastrous for Somalia’s security sector, it just causes that first panic reaction: You know, why now?” said Samira Gaid, a Somali national security specialist who served as senior security adviser to the prime minister and special adviser to the head of AMISOM. “Especially since over the past three and half years in particular the security sector really improved, and we tried to work closely with" the U.S., she told The Associated Press.

Recent progress includes a “war council” between the U.S. and Somali governments, she said, where the U.S. helps to draw up military plans. “We call them Somali-led operations, but really the U.S. is hand-holding us through it."

The U.S. military also trains Somalia’s elite Danab special forces that now number around 1,000, and is providing Danab with air cover and intelligence, Gaid said.

“Danab was expanding, that’s why this is so shocking,” she said. “Is it possible to move forward with that plan now?”

Danab units are now operational in four of Somalia's five member states, the U.S. military says, and they conducted about 80% of the Somali national army's offensive forces in the quarter ending Sept. 30 and “nearly all” operations against al-Shabab.

The Danab forces also serve as a model for how the rest of Somali military forces can develop to be “more meritocracy and less clan-focused,” said Omar Mahmood, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.

The loss of U.S. forces is widely seen as a gain for al-Shabab, and for the far smaller presence of hundreds of IS-affiliated fighters in Somalia's north. “From the al-Shabab perspective, they just need to hold out,” Mahmood said, and they might even ask themselves what need there is for any potential Taliban-style negotiations.

Al-Shabab’s messaging has always stressed the extremist group's staying power, national security specialist Gaid said: “These external forces will always leave.” A U.S. withdrawal will play into that narrative.

Gaid said she doesn't see any other country stepping into the U.S. military’s role, though a withdrawal would open space for powers like Russia and China. Somalia also has some 1,500 special forces that have been trained by Turkish troops, she said, but “they don’t benefit from Turkish advisers on the ground.”

SECURITY

Without U.S. forces, al-Shabab “will find it easier to overrun AMISOM, let alone the Somali national army,” Vanda Felbab-Brown, co-director of the African Security Initiative at the Brookings Institution, told an online event this week. And with neighboring Ethiopia’s conflict increasing pressure to withdraw more Ethiopian forces from Somalia, a U.S. troop withdrawal “is really just the worst time.”

The support that U.S. forces give AMISOM is “huge,” Gaid said, including as a key interlocutor with Somali forces. And with AMISOM also drawing down by the end of next year, “it’s a tricky time.”

The U.S. has said implementation of the plan for Somali forces to take over the country's security next year is “badly off track,” said the new report by the Department of Defense inspector general.

Somali forces cannot contain the al-Shabab threat on its own, the report said. They still rely on the international community for financial support, and yet they “sometimes go unpaid for months.”

Maybe a U.S. withdrawal would lead the AMISOM force to adjust its own withdrawal timeline “more realistically,” Mahmood said.

The U.S. has been the most engaged security partner in Somalia “willing to get down and dirty,” he added. But no other country appears to have the willingness to replace what U.S. forces are doing on the ground

And a withdrawal of both the U.S. and AMISOM would risk leaving the impression that “Somalia increasingly can rely less and less on external security partners," Mahmood said.

POLITICAL STABILITY

Somalia is on the brink of elections, with the parliamentary vote scheduled in December and the presidential one in February. What had meant to be the country’s first one-person-one-vote election in decades instead remains limited by disputes between the federal government and regional ones — which the U.S. has said also weakens command and control of Somali forces.

At least keep U.S. forces in Somalia until after the elections, Felbab-Brown wrote this week, warning of possible post-election violence or al-Shabab taking advantage of any chaos.

Even though U.S. forces don’t provide election security, “our problem is, with the U.S. focused on a drawdown of troops, it would not be focused on how the elections are going politically,” Gaid said.

The U.S. has been one of the most vocal actors on Somalia's election process, she said. “We were all expecting after November that the U.S. would be clear on a lot of stuff. Now it seems we have to wait.”

1/5
Somalia US Troop Withdrawal
U.S. Army Spc. Dominic Deitrick, assigned to the 1-186th Infantry Battalion, Task Force Guardian, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, seen through a night-vision device, provides security for a 75th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (EAS) C-130J Super Hercules during unloading and loading operations Friday, June 12, 2020 at an unidentified location in Somalia. No country has been involved in Somalia's future as much as the United States but now the Trump administration is thinking of withdrawing the several hundred U.S. military troops from the nation at what some experts call the worst possible time. (Tech. Sgt. Christopher Ruano/Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa via AP)

2/5

Somalia US Troop Withdrawal
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Damian T. Donahoe, deputy commanding general, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, center, talks with service members during a battlefield circulation Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, in Somalia. No country has been involved in Somalia's future as much as the United States but now the Trump administration is thinking of withdrawing the several hundred U.S. military troops from the nation at what some experts call the worst possible time. (Senior Airman Kristin Savage/Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa via AP)

3/5

Somalia US Troop Withdrawal
A U.S. Army soldier assigned to Site Security Team Task Force Guardian, 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, provides security for a C-130J Super Hercules from the 75th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (EAS) at an unidentified location in Somalia Wednesday, June 10, 2020. No country has been involved in Somalia's future as much as the United States but now the Trump administration is thinking of withdrawing the several hundred U.S. military troops from the nation at what some experts call the worst possible time. (Staff Sgt. Shawn White/Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa via AP)



4/5

Somalia US Troop Withdrawal
U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 1-186th Infantry Battalion, Task Force Guardian, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, provide security for a 75th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (EAS) C-130J Super Hercules during loading and unloading operations at an unidentified location in Somalia Friday, July 10, 2020. No country has been involved in Somalia's future as much as the United States but now the Trump administration is thinking of withdrawing the several hundred U.S. military troops from the nation at what some experts call the worst possible time. (Tech. Sgt. Christopher Ruano/Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa via AP)

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Somalia US Troop Withdrawal
U.S. Army Spc. Kevin Martin, junior sniper, assigned to the 1-186th Infantry Battalion, Task Force Guardian, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, provides security for a 75th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (EAS) C-130J Super Hercules during unloading operations at an unidentified location in Somalia Sunday, June 28, 2020. No country has been involved in Somalia's future as much as the United States but now the Trump administration is thinking of withdrawing the several hundred U.S. military troops from the nation at what some experts call the worst possible time. (Tech. Sgt. Christopher Ruano/Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa via AP)

UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting over Israel’s Somaliland recognition

Session set for Monday as Israel says it will not 'shy away' from political debate, pledges responsible engagement

Fatma Zehra Solmaz |28.12.2025 - TRT/AA

ISTANBUL

The UN Security Council is set to convene an emergency session to discuss Israel’s recognition of Somaliland amid expectations that several members will criticize the move.

"The UN Security Council will convene on Monday for an urgent session following Israel's recognition of the Republic of Somaliland," Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said on US social media company X Saturday.

"We will not shy away from political discussions," he added.

He said Israel would "continue to act responsibly and with discretion, in order to strengthen cooperation with partners who contribute to regional stability."

The move has drawn widespread criticism from countries in Africa, Middle East, as well as Türkiye, Pakistan. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and African Union have also censured the move as a violation of Somalia's sovereignty.

Somalia, African nations denounce Israeli recognition of Somaliland

Mogadishu (AFP) – Somalia and the African Union reacted angrily Friday after Israel became the first country to formally recognise the northern region of Somaliland as an independent state.


 27/12/2025 - RFI

In Hargeisa, crowds took to the streets to celebrate, many carrying the flag of the breakaway state © LUIS TATO / AFP

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has pushed for international recognition for decades, with president Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi making it a top priority since taking office last year.

Israel announced Friday that it viewed Somaliland as an "independent and sovereign state", prompting Somalia to call the decision a "deliberate attack" on its sovereignty that would undermine regional peace.

Several other countries condemned Israel's decision. The African Union (AU) rejected the move and warned that it risked "setting a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent".

Somaliland "remains an integral part" of Somalia, an AU member, said the pan-African body's head Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the decision was "in the spirit of the Abraham Accords", referring to a series of agreements brokered by US President Donald Trump in his first term that normalised ties between Israel and several Arab nations.

Netanyahu had invited Abdullahi to visit, the Israeli leader's office said.

Asked by the New York Post newspaper whether the United States planned to also recognise Somaliland, Trump said "no".

"Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?" he added.

With a new president, Somaliland seeks international recognition

Hailing Israel's decision as a "historic moment", Abdullahi said in a post on X that it marked the beginning of a "strategic partnership".

The Palestinian Authority rejected Israel's recognition of Somaliland.

It said on X that Israel had previously named Somaliland "as a destination for the forced displacement of our Palestinian people, particularly from the Gaza Strip", and warned against "complicity" with such a move.

In Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, crowds of people took to the streets to celebrate, many carrying the flag of the breakaway state, said sources.
'Overt interference'

Turkey, a close ally of Somalia, also condemned the move.

"This initiative by Israel, which aligns with its expansionist policy... constitutes overt interference in Somalia's domestic affairs", a foreign ministry statement said.

A video showed Netanyahu speaking to Abdullahi by telephone to confirm the recognition © Ariel Schalit / POOL/AFP


Egypt said its top diplomat had spoken with counterparts from Turkey, Somalia and Djibouti, who together condemned the move and emphasised "full support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia".

In a video showing Netanyahu speaking to Abdullahi by telephone, the Israeli leader said that he believed the new relationship would offer economic opportunities.

"I am very, very happy and I am very proud of this day and I want to wish you and the people of Somaliland the very, very best," Netanyahu said.

A self-proclaimed republic, Somaliland enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden and has its own money, passports and army.

But it has been diplomatically isolated since unilaterally declaring independence.
Strategic move

Israel's regional security interests may lie behind the move.

"Israel requires allies in the Red Sea region for many strategic reasons, among them the possibility of a future campaign against the Houthis," said the Institute for National Security Studies in a paper last month, referring to Yemen's Iran-backed rebels.

Israel repeatedly hit targets in Yemen after the Gaza war broke out in October 2023, in response to Houthi attacks on Israel that the rebels said were in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis have halted their attacks since a fragile truce began in Gaza in October.

Somaliland's lack of international recognition has hampered access to foreign loans, aid and investment, and the territory remains deeply impoverished.

A deal between landlocked Ethiopia and Somaliland last year to lease a stretch of coastline for a port and military base enraged Somalia.

Israel has been trying to bolster relations with countries in the Middle East and Africa.

Historic agreements struck late in Trump's first term in 2020 saw several countries including the Muslim-majority United Arab Emirates and Morocco normalise relations with Israel.

But wars that have stoked Arab anger, particularly in Gaza, have hampered recent efforts to expand ties further.

(AFP)

Arab and Islamic states reject Israel’s recognition of Somaliland

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said earlier that the country formally recognized Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, as an “independent and sovereign state.” (AFP)

Arab News
December 28, 2025

Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” on Friday
Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia

A group of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, alongside the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have firmly rejected Israel’s announcement of its recognition of the Somaliland region within Somalia.

In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the ministers condemned Israel’s decision, announced on December 26, warning that the move carries “serious repercussions for peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region” and undermines international peace and security, the Jordan News Agency reported.

The statement described the recognition as an unprecedented and flagrant violation of international law and the charter of the United Nations, which uphold the principles of state sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, JNA added.

Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties, as the region’s leader hailed its first-ever official recognition.

The ministers reaffirmed their full support for the sovereignty of Somalia, rejecting any measures that would undermine its unity or territorial integrity.

They warned that recognizing the independence of parts of states sets a dangerous precedent and poses a direct threat to international peace and security.

The statement also reiterated categorical opposition to any attempt to link the move with plans to displace the Palestinian people outside their land, stressing that such proposals are rejected “in form and substance.”

Alongside the Jordanian foreign ministry, the joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, The Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye and Yemen, as well as the OIC.

Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and expressed its rejection of the declaration of mutual recognition between Israel and Somaliland.

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland slammed across world capitals

Regional blocs join nations in condemning Israel’s move to formally recognise breakaway Somali region as independent.

A man holds a flag of Somaliland in front of the Hargeisa War Memorial monument in Hargeisa in November 2024 [File: AFP]


By Al Jazeera and News Agencies
Published On 27 Dec 2025

The Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the African Union (AU), and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have joined numerous countries and foreign ministers in decrying Israel’s formal recognition of the Somali breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent state.

Somaliland, a region in the Horn of Africa, declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has pushed for international recognition for decades, with President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi making it a top priority since taking office last year.

Israel announced on Friday that it viewed Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state”, becoming the first country to make such a declaration.

The announcement prompted Somalia to call the decision a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty that would undermine regional peace.

In a statement on Friday, the AU continental bloc rejected Israel’s move and warned that it risked “setting a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent”.

The AU Commission chair, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said the institution “firmly rejects any initiative or action aimed at recognising Somaliland as an independent entity, recalling that Somaliland remains an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia”.
‘Dangerous precedent’

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called Israel’s action “a clear violation of international law and a flagrant infringement of the principle of the unity and sovereignty of states”.

“Any attempt to impose unilateral recognitions constitutes an unacceptable interference in Somalia’s internal affairs and sets a dangerous precedent that threatens regional and international security and stability,” he warned.

The GCC called the development “a grave violation of the principles of international law and a blatant infringement” of Somalia’s sovereignty.

“This recognition represents a dangerous precedent that will undermine the foundations of stability in the Horn of Africa region and open the door to further tensions and conflicts, contradicting regional and international efforts aimed at strengthening international peace and security in the region,” GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi said in a statement.

The European Union said it respected Somalia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, calling for dialogue between the Somali national government and Somaliland.

The OIC issued a joint statement together with the foreign ministers of several countries including Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye, and Yemen.

The group issued its “unequivocal rejection of Israel’s recognition of the ‘Somaliland’ region … given the serious repercussions of such unprecedented measure on peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and its serious effects on international peace and security as a whole”.

They criticised “Israel’s full and blatant disregard to international law” and expressed full support for the sovereignty of Somalia.

The group also rejected “any potential link between such measure [Somaliland recognition] and any attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people out of their land”.

Earlier this year, reports emerged linking potential recognition of Somaliland to plans for ethnically cleansing Palestinians in Gaza and forcibly moving them to the African region.
Somalia demands reversal of recognition

Qatar, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, China and Nigeria were among the other countries that condemned Israel’s move in separate statements.

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas also rejected Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.

On Friday, Somalia demanded Israel reverse its recognition of Somaliland as independent, condemning the move as an act of “aggression that will never be tolerated”.

However, Somaliland leader Abdullahi hailed Israel’s decision as a “historic moment” and said in a post on X that it marked the beginning of a “strategic partnership”.

As world leaders weighed in, Somalia’s al-Qaeda-linked armed group al-Shabab pledged on Saturday to fight any attempt by Israel “to claim or use parts of Somaliland”.

“We will not accept it, and we will fight against it,” the group that has waged a decades-long armed rebellion in the region said in a statement.
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United States President Donald Trump also commented on the issue.

Asked by the New York Post newspaper whether Washington planned to also recognise Somaliland, Trump said “no”.

“Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?” he added on Friday.

Iran slams Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as ‘flagrant violation’ of Somalia’s sovereignty

Tehran says move part of Israel’s broader policy to exacerbate insecurity in Red Sea and Horn of Africa

TRT/AA
Syed Zafar Mehdi 

 |27.12.2025 




TEHRAN, Iran

Iran strongly condemned on Saturday Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland as a “flagrant violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Criticizing the Israeli move as “malicious,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei emphasized the importance of “preserving the national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity” of Somalia.

Baghaei asserted that the recognition aligns with Israel’s broader policy “to destabilize countries in the region and exacerbate insecurity in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.”

Expressing support for the firm condemnation by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the African Union (AU), Baghaei called on the international community to take “decisive action” to “neutralize this expansionist and threat-creating move by the occupying regime.”

On Friday, Israel became the first country to officially recognize Somaliland, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing that the two sides had signed a joint declaration establishing full diplomatic relations “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords.”

In response, Somalia’s government denounced the move as an “attack” on its sovereignty and an “unlawful action,” reaffirming Somaliland as an “inseparable” part of its territory.

The Israeli move has been widely condemned by several countries, including Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar.

Notably, Somalia was among the countries that severed diplomatic ties with Iran in January 2016 following a mob attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran.

In March 2024, a year after Iran and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic relations through a China-brokered deal, Somalia announced its readiness to mend ties with Iran.

In August of the same year, the top diplomats of Somalia and Iran met on the sidelines of the OIC summit in Jeddah and agreed to revive and deepen diplomatic relations.

Palestine reaffirms support for Somalia's unity and rejects recognition between Israel and Somaliland

27/December/2025

RAMALLAH, December 27, 2025 (WAFA) — The State of Palestine affirmed its full support for the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and rejected any mutual recognition between Israel and the Somaliland region.

President Mahmoud Abbas expressed his firm rejection of any steps that would undermine Somali sovereignty or destabilize the country, stressing Palestine's support for Somalia's legitimate state institutions and its rejection of any attempts to impose parallel entities that contradict the unity of the Somali state.

President Abbas also praised the Arab and fraternal positions rejecting this move, which he said aims at desperate attempts to displace Palestinians to Somalia.

Trump says not ready to follow Israel recognizing Somaliland: Report


December 27, 2025 

Middle East Monitor

US President Donald Trump said Friday he did not intend to immediately follow Israel in recognizing Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent country, Anadolu reports.

“Everything is under study … We’ll study it. I study a lot of things and always make great decisions and they turn out to be correct,” Trump told the New York Post in a phone interview.

“Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?” he asked.

On Somaliland’s proposal to provide the US with access to a port on the strategically significant Gulf of Aden, Trump responded dismissively, saying: “Big deal.”

Israel on Friday became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland’s separation from Somalia, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convey the development to Trump during a planned meeting scheduled for Monday.

Speaking during a video call with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi to mark the diplomatic move, Netanyahu said he would inform Trump of Somaliland’s interest in joining the Abraham Accords.

Trump underlined that he was not swayed by the proposal and that the upcoming talks with Netanyahu would prioritize issues related to the Gaza Strip, particularly the ceasefire he brokered in October and ongoing reconstruction efforts under a UN-approved framework

Somalia’s Al-Shabab vows to fight any Israeli use of Somaliland

A photo dated 2010 shows an Al-Qaeda linked Shabab militant straps ammunition around his waist in Mogadishu, Somalia. (AFP)

AFP
December 27, 2025

MOGADISHU: Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabab vowed Saturday to fight any attempt by Israel “to claim or use parts of Somaliland” following its recognition of the breakaway territory.

“We will not accept it, and we will fight against it,” Al-Shabab said in a statement.

It said Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign state showed it “has decided to expand into parts of the Somali territories” to support “the apostate administration in the northwest regions.”

Pakistan slams Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as 'illegal and provocative'

"Such illegal and provocative actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law and not only threaten the peace and stability of the brotherly country of Somalia, but also that of the entire region," says Foreign Ministry.

Islamabad also expressed its "complete support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity" of Somalia. / Reuters

Pakistan condemned Israel’s recognition of the breakaway Somaliland region, calling the move "provocative and illegal."

Islamabad "strongly condemns any attempts to undermine the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia" and rejects Israel recognising the independence of "the so-called Somaliland region of the Federal Republic of Somalia," said a statement from the Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

"Such illegal and provocative actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law and not only threaten the peace and stability of the brotherly country of Somalia, but also that of the entire region," the ministry added.

The ministry urged the international community to step in to reject any such actions and "prevent and deter Israel from undermining the ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the broader region."

RelatedTRT World - Türkiye denounces Israel's Somaliland recognition as unlawful, destabilising


Islamabad also expressed its "complete support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity" of Somalia.

The remarks follow an announcement on Thursday, in which Israel became the first UN member state to formally recognise Somaliland as an independent state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move was in the “spirit of the Abraham Accords,” citing cooperation in agriculture, technology, and regional security.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has operated as a de facto state for more than three decades but had not previously received formal recognition from any UN member state.

THE ORIGINAL FAILED NATION STATE

Somalia: Malnutrition killing hundreds of children, UN says

The fifth drought in as many years has brought Somalia to the brink, raising fears of a deadly famine. Hundreds of children have already died from severe acute malnutrition.


Some 1.5 million children in Somalia are at risk of severe acute malnutrition

Some 730 children have died in nutrition centers around Somalia already this year, the United Nation's children's agency UNICEF said on Tuesday.

Nutrition centers help children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

The announcement comes a day after the UN warned of a coming famine in the Horn of Africa. The region is facing its fifth consecutive failed rainy season.

"Malnutrition has reached an unprecedented level," UNICEF's Somalia representative Wafaa Saeed said.
Children particularly vulnerable to famine

Saeed said that between January and July this year, "around 730 children are reported to have died in nutrition centers across the country."

She was speaking to reporters in Geneva via a video-link from Mogadishu.

"This is less than one percent of the children who were admitted, cured and discharged. But we also feel that this number could be more, as many deaths of children go unreported."

The prices aid groups pay for emergency water supplies have also increased by between 55% and 85% since the beginning of the year, UNICEF said. Officials said that violence enacted by the Islamist group al-Shabab is also partly to blame.

Drought, war put Somalia on the brink of extreme hunger

According to the UNICEF official, some 1.5 million children are at risk of acute malnutrition. Around half of those are younger than five-years-old.

She added that 385,000 children may need to be treated for severe acute malnutrition.
'We cannot wait to act' WFP tells DW

DW spoke with Petroc Wilton from the UN's World Food Program (WFP) following his trip to the country.

Wilton warned that the famine is "going to affect the most vulnerable first. And that is young children. It is the elderly. It is those living with disabilities. It is those who have been internally displaced by conflict."

"We cannot wait for a declaration of famine to act," the WFP official said, adding that "In 2011, the last major famine in Somalia that claimed more than a quarter of a million lives, half of the people who passed away had died before the official declaration."

"This is an unusually severe drought, but Somalia is very prone to droughts, to floods, to tropical storms, they keep happening," Wilton told DW.
Drought driving Somalia into a crisis

Somalia is on the brink of its second famine in just over a decade thanks to a drought a soaring global food prices.

Saeed explained on Tuesday that the drought had caused a water and sanitation crisis due to dried up water sources.

"Many of those have also dried out because of overuse, and we have around 4.5 million people who need emergency water supplies," she said.

"No matter how much food a malnourished child eats, if he or she doesn't get clean water then they won't be able to recover," said Saeed.

She also warned of the dangers of outbreaks of disease among children suffering from acute malnutrition.

The UN has called on world leaders to respond to the crisis before it is too late and to avoid a repeat of the deadly famine that hit the region in 2011.

UN agencies have warned that around half of Somalia's population is facing crisis hunger levels and that people living in Kenya and Ethiopia will also be affected.

ab/msh (Reuters, AFP)

More than 700 children have died in Somalia nutrition centres, UN says

Issued on: 07/09/2022 - 

Hundreds of children have already died in nutrition centres across Somalia, the UN children's agency (UNICEF) said on Tuesday, a day after the global body warned that parts of Somalia will be hit by famine in the coming months. The Horn of Africa region is on track for a fifth consecutive failed rainy season. A famine in 2011 in Somalia claimed more than a quarter of a million lives, most of them children.

 

UN: At least $1 billion needed to avert famine in Somalia

By EDITH M. LEDERER

today

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Fatuma Abdi Aliyow sits by the graves of her two sons who died of malnutrition-related diseases last week, at a camp for the displaced on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Millions of people in the Horn of Africa region are going hungry because of drought, and thousands have died, with Somalia especially hard hit because it sourced at least 90 percent of its grain from Ukraine and Russia before Russia invaded Ukraine. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. humanitarian chief predicted Tuesday that at least $1 billion will be needed urgently to avert famine in Somalia in the coming months and early next year when two more dry seasons are expected to compound the historic drought that has hit the Horn of Africa nation.

Martin Griffiths said in a video briefing from Somalia’s capital Mogadishu that a new report from an authoritative panel of independent experts says there will be a famine in Somalia between October and December “if we don’t manage to stave it off and avoid it as had been the case in 2016 and 2017.”

The undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs told U.N. correspondents that more than $1 billion in new funds is needed in addition to the U.N. appeal of about $1.4 billion. That appeal has been “very well-funded,” he said, thanks to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which announced a $476 million donation of humanitarian and development aid in July.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network, created by USAID, said in a report Monday that famine is projected to emerge later this year in three areas in Somalia’s southeastern Bay region, including Baidoa without urgent humanitarian aid.

Up to 7.1 million people across Somalia need urgent assistance to treat and prevent acute malnutrition and reduce the number of ongoing hunger-related deaths, according to a recent analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification or IPC, used by the network to describe the severity of food insecurity.

The Horn of Africa region has seen four straight failed rainy seasons for the first time in over half a century, endangering an estimated 20 million people in one of the world’s most impoverished and turbulent regions.

Griffiths said meteorologists have predicted the likelihood of a fifth failed rainy season from October to December, and a sixth failed rainy season from January to March next year is also likely.

“This has never happened before in Somalia,” he said. “This is unprecedented.”

“We’ve been banging the drum and rattling the trees trying to get support internationally in terms of attention, prospects, and the possibilities and the horror of famine coming to the Horn of Africa -- here in Somalia maybe first, but Ethiopia and Kenya, probably they’re not far behind,” Griffiths said.

He said the U.N. World Food Program has recently been providing aid for up to 5.3 million Somalis, which is “a lot, but it’s going to get worse if famine comes.” He said 98% of the aid is given through cash distributions via telephones.

But many thousands are not getting help and hungry families in Somalia have been staggering for days or weeks through parched terrain in search of assistance.

Griffiths said a big challenge is to get aid to people before they move from their homes, to help avoid massive displacement.

Many Somalis raise livestock, which is key to their survival, but he said three million animals have died or been slaughtered because of the lack of rain.

“Continued drought, continued failure of rainy seasons, means that a generation’s way of life is under threat,” Griffiths said.

He said the international community needs to help Somalis find an alternative way of life and making a living, which will require development funding and funding to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Griffiths, a British diplomat, said the war in Ukraine has had an impact on humanitarian aid, with U.N. humanitarian appeals around the world receiving about 30% of the money needed on average.

“To those countries, which are traditionally very generous, my own included, and many others,” he said. “Please don’t forget Somalia. You didn’t in the past. You contributed wonderfully in the past. Please do so now.”

UN pleads for aid for Somalia, on the brink of famine

Issued on: 07/09/2022 - 

The United Nations on Tuesday begged the international community not to forget Somalia, with the humanitarian affairs chief pleading for more aid as drought puts 200,000 people on the brink of famine.

Ankara likens Somalia to Syria, using military power to enhance its economic influence




Levent Kenez/Stockholm

July 22, 2025   

NORDIC MONITOR

Turkey is intensifying its political, economic and military involvement in Somalia, with a recent debate in the Turkish Parliament drawing a deliberate parallel between the country’s approach to the Horn of Africa and its long-term strategy in Syria: establishing security and enabling Turkish business to follow.

During a meeting of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on July 17, Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz highlighted the multi-layered nature of Turkey’s engagement with Somalia, emphasizing the “special nature” of bilateral ties grounded in shared history and growing mutual interests.

Yılmaz compared Turkey’s engagement in Somalia to its approach in Syria, noting that once cooperation with a country advances and security is established, the environment naturally opens up to Turkish business. “Once a country ensures security in a partner state, the field naturally opens up to Turkish businesspeople,” Yılmaz told members of the committee.

Since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, made a visit to Mogadishu in 2011, Turkey has emerged as Somalia’s most visible foreign partner, operating across sectors ranging from defense and health care to infrastructure and finance.
Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz

Turkey operates its largest military training base abroad in Somalia, the Anatolia Barracks in Mogadishu, which has trained more than 15,000 Somali troops since its inauguration in 2017. The base is central to Somalia’s ongoing fight against the al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabab, Yılmaz said.

In tandem with security cooperation, Turkey has backed development projects by means of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), supported humanitarian relief through the Turkish Red Crescent and provided medical services via a teaching and research hospital in Mogadishu.

At the core of the current parliamentary discussion is a bilateral agreement under which each country allocates land for the other’s embassy. Under the terms of the deal, Turkey will construct a new chancery and residence for the Somali Embassy in Ankara on a 4,918-square-meter plot of land in the Incek diplomatic enclave. This follows Somalia’s prior grant of more than 61,000 square meters of land in Mogadishu, now home to Turkey’s largest embassy compound abroad.

The agreement, formally titled “Protocol on the Mutual Allocation of Plots for Diplomatic Missions,” was signed in 2019 but only reached the committee in July 2025 for parliamentary ratification. While some lawmakers expressed concern over the lack of specific cost estimates and clarity on procedures for tenders, Yılmaz and senior diplomats insisted the arrangement was based on mutual benefit.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at the presidential palace on July 11 in Ankara. The two leaders last met on April 12 in Antalya, Turkey.

Refik Ali Onaner, director general for North and East Africa at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, noted that Turkey had already received a substantial return in diplomatic presence and strategic influence. “The compound in Mogadishu not only enhances Turkey’s visibility in the region but has become a regional diplomatic and operational hub,” he said.

The deal is structured as a non-monetary aid agreement, with Turkey providing the land and overseeing the construction of Somalia’s new embassy. Critics on the committee raised questions about cost transparency, potential favoritism in the awarding of contracts and whether such investments provide measurable returns to Turkish taxpayers.

Committee member Utku Çakırözer asked why such significant financial commitments were being made during a time of national austerity, pointing to recent government-wide calls for budgetary restraint. “We are not only giving the land but also constructing the building,” he said. “We don’t know the cost, nor do we know who will build it. Shouldn’t this be subject to stricter scrutiny?”

Yılmaz defended the initiative as part of a long-term strategy. “This isn’t a typical bilateral relationship,” he said. “It’s a relationship built on a strategic alliance, and it positions Turkey as a key actor in the stabilization of the Horn of Africa.”

Several lawmakers raised questions about oversight. Çakırözer and fellow lawmaker Yunus Emre both asked about the legal mechanisms available should Somalia fail to honor the diplomatic agreement or misuse the property provided. Ministry officials responded that all disputes would be resolved amicably and without recourse to international courts, a standard clause in bilateral agreements of this kind.

Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, is managed and operated by a Turkish company under a controversial contract signed in 2013, facilitated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Onaner clarified that the Turkish side retained control over any future transfer or sale of the compound, stressing that the land could only be used for diplomatic purposes and could not be transferred without Turkey’s explicit permission.

Another point of contention was the total financial commitment made by Turkey to Somalia since 2011. Onaner estimated that aid and assistance have surpassed $1 billion, including a $3.5 million payment to cover Somalia’s debt to the International Monetary Fund as well as significant humanitarian aid.

According to claims in the Turkish media, much of the aid sent to Somalia is actually used to make payments to companies close to Erdogan that are doing business in Somalia. In other words, under the guise of official aid, a mechanism is operating that effectively finances pro-Erdogan businessmen. This situation has sparked criticism suggesting that behind Turkey’s economic and military presence in Somalia lies a hidden agenda to channel resources to certain interest groups beyond the stated support to the country.

Turkey’s trade volume with Somalia reached $426 million in 2023 but dropped to $384 million in 2024, according to ministry figures. Despite the decline, Turkey remains the leading foreign investor in Somalia, with Turkish companies managing both the Port of Mogadishu and Aden Adde International Airport.

Critics remain wary. “We say this relationship is special,” Çakırözer said, “but has Somalia reciprocated in areas important to us, such as recognizing the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus?”  

A military school graduation ceremony was held by the Somali Turkish Task Force Command at the Anatolia Barracks in Mogadishu on July 13.

Supporters, however, argue that the long-term returns of Turkish engagement in Somalia — political, economic and symbolic — outweigh short-term costs. Ruling party lawmaker Derya Bakbak said the reason Somalia trusts Turkey more than other countries is clear. Turkey has a clean record, free from the stain of colonialism. Wherever Turkey goes, it brings justice, development and sincerity. This trust is strengthened by their shared history, faith and cultural ties. The steps taken in Somalia are not just a matter between two countries but also a reflection of Turkey’s vision to become a global power.

Nordic Monitor previously published the full text of a wide-ranging hydrocarbons agreement between Turkey and Somalia following its submission to the Turkish Parliament for ratification on April 22. The release of the document provided the first detailed insight into the scope, terms and strategic intentions behind Ankara’s deepening energy and defense partnership with Mogadishu. According to the agreement, Turkey has secured sweeping operational and financial privileges.

In 2022 United Nations investigators concluded that Turkey violated international sanctions on Somalia by supplying armed drones without notifying or obtaining approval from the UN. According to the Panel of Experts on Somalia, which monitors the conflict under the relevant UN Security Council resolution, Turkey violated the UN arms embargo by delivering armed Bayraktar drones manufactured by a company owned by the family of President Erdogan.

Confidential intelligence obtained by the UN investigators revealed that Turkey delivered Bayraktar TB2 drones to Mogadishu on December 6, 2021, via two Airbus A400M military cargo planes operated by the Turkish air force. However, the Turkish government failed to request an exemption from the UN before the shipment, despite the Security Council resolution explicitly requiring such clearance prior to any arms delivery to Somalia.