The East African Community (EAC) has reaffirmed its recognition of Somalia as a single, sovereign state, pushing back against recent international developments seen as threatening the country’s territorial integrity.
In a statement issued from its headquarters in Arusha on December 28, the regional bloc said it recognises the Federal Republic of Somalia under the authority of the internationally recognised federal government, within the borders inherited at independence.
The statement followed remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on December 26, in which he announced that Israel had extended formal recognition to Somaliland through a joint declaration with its authorities.
While the EAC did not directly reference Israel or Somaliland, its position closely aligned with the African Union’s long-standing stance, as outlined in the AU Constitutive Act and related decisions that emphasise respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity among member states.
“In accordance with the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community, the EAC recognises the Federal Republic of Somalia as a single sovereign state,” the statement said.
Regional analysts say the reaffirmation sends a strong signal that East African states will not support unilateral actions or external interventions that could alter Somalia’s borders or further destabilise the Horn of Africa.
Somalia formally joined the EAC in 2023, a development widely viewed as strengthening its integration into regional political, security, and economic frameworks following decades of conflict.
Since then, the bloc has repeatedly underscored Somalia’s unity as critical to regional stability, particularly amid ongoing security operations against the militant group Al-Shabaab and the country’s complex federal political arrangements.
The EAC urged all parties to respect Somalia’s unity and to operate strictly within established regional and international legal frameworks governing sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has functioned as a self-governing entity for more than three decades but has not received formal international recognition.
