Somali president calls on Somaliland for dialogue, says unity is non-negotiable

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud urged officials in Somaliland to engage in dialogue with his government, saying he is open to compromise on all issues except "unity of the country."

Mohamud's remarks came as he traveled on Friday to a provincial capital also claimed by the breakaway Somaliland region, marking the first such visit by a sitting Somali president in over 40 years.

He also said Israel's move to recognize Somaliland has been rejected both internationally and at home, stressing that Somalia's unity is "non-negotiable."

The president visited Las Anod, the administrative capital of the Sool region, to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the president of the newly established Northeast State, which became Somalia's sixth federal member state in August.

Mohamud's visit "is a symbol of strengthening the unity and efforts of the federal government to enforce the territorial unity of the Somali country and its people," the Somali president's office said.

On Dec. 26, Israel announced that it had officially recognized Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, becoming the only country to do so. The move drew sharp criticism across the region.

Somalia also reaffirmed its firm and non-negotiable commitment to its sovereignty, national unity, and territorial integrity, rejecting the Israeli move.

Somaliland has operated as a de facto self-governing entity since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991, but it has not received international recognition as a sovereign state.