Thousands of Somalis took to the streets in multiple cities on Tuesday to protest Israel's recognition of Somaliland, a self-declared breakaway region in northern Somalia, with demonstrators calling the move a violation of the country's sovereignty.
In Baaydhabo, a city in Somalia's South West State, thousands of people protested Israel's recognition of Somaliland, which they described as a violation of Somalia's sovereignty. Demonstrators waved Somali flags and chanted anti-Israel slogans.
Protests were also held in Hobyo, in the central Mudug region, where thousands marched to denounce the recognition as a threat to Somalia's territorial integrity. In Xudur, the capital of the Bakool Region, participants in the protest demonstration called Israel's move an open interference in Somalia's independence and national sovereignty.
Crowds in Guriceel, Galmudug State, held banners rejecting the recognition, while demonstrators in Laascaanood, the northeastern region's capital, held similar large-scale protests.
Across the country, participants carried signs, chanted national unity slogans, and called on the international community to uphold Somalia's unity.
Protesters said Israel's recognition of Somaliland violated international law and demanded that it be revoked.
Hundreds of people held large-scale protests in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, to voice opposition to Israel's recognition of Somaliland.
A diverse crowd, including religious scholars, community elders, folk poets, and students in school uniforms, took part in a demonstration at Mogadishu Stadium.
Sheikh Shafi, a religious scholar, said Somalia has faced major challenges for nearly 40 years and called Israel "the greatest problem we are facing today," accusing Tel Aviv of undermining Somalia's unity while citing its treatment of Palestinians.
He added that Israel's move, in a context where its own legitimacy is disputed, "clearly reveals Israel's oppression."
Sheikh Mahmud Bari, attending the gathering, said protesters have come together to demonstrate their commitment to Somalia's unity, adding: "It is not possible for us to allow Israel to have a presence on Somali soil. Today we know what they are doing to our Palestinian brothers."
Somali folk poet Guure also condemned Israel: "This land is ours, and we will not give it up. We see that Israel is taking a hostile stance against the Islamic world."
"We do not want our country to be divided. We desire the South and the North to live together in peace and brotherhood," community elder Haad said.
Israel became the world's first country to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state, drawing condemnation from Türkiye, a close ally of Somalia, and countries in Africa and the Middle East, among others.
Global backlash grows over Israel's recognition of Somaliland, with many countries condemning the move as a violation of international law and a threat to regional stability.
Somaliland, which has lacked official recognition since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991, operates as a de facto independent administrative, political, and security entity, with the central government struggling to assert control over the region and its leadership unable to secure international recognition of independence.
Mogadishu refuses to recognize Somaliland as an independent state, considers it an integral part of its territory, and views any direct deals or engagement with it as a violation of the country's sovereignty and unity.
