Somalia condemns Israel's recognition of Somaliland as independent state

Somalia condemned Israel's recognition of Somaliland, a self-declared region of Somalia, as an independent state, and reaffirmed the country's unity and territorial integrity.

Somaliland declared "independence" from Somalia in the 1990s but has never received recognition from the international community.

Somaliland is an integral, inseparable, and inalienable part of the sovereign territory of the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Somalian Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Friday, rejecting Israel's recognition as unlawful.

Somalia makes clear that it will not permit the establishment of any foreign military bases or arrangements on its territory that would draw Somalia into proxy conflicts or import regional and international hostilities into this region.

Moreover, countries including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Iran, Türkiye, Pakistan, Libya, and Nigeria, along with international organizations including the African Union, Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, have condemned Israel's recognition of Somaliland. They said that Israel's actions pose a serious threat to international peace and security, violate the United Nations Charter and international law, and represent a blatant interference in Somalia's internal affairs. All parties firmly reject and condemn Israel's statement, reaffirming their unwavering support for Somalia's unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

Ali Omar, Somalia's state minister for foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Israel's behavior is intolerable and demanded Israel withdraw the recognition. He asserted that the Somali government would utilize all diplomatic means necessary to counter Israel's interference in its domestic matters.

Omar emphasized that it is widely recognized that Israel's recognition of Somaliland aims to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza.

In the wake of the recent Israel-Palestine conflict, Israel has sought ways to displace Palestinians from Gaza. A report from the Associated Press in March indicated that the U.S. and Israel had contacted Somaliland with proposals to settle displaced Gazans in the area, promising support in terms of finances, diplomacy, and security. Such actions have faced backlash from both the Palestine and the international community, which views forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza as contrary to the two-state solution, a violation of international law, and tantamount to crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.

Somalia condemns Israel's recognition of Somaliland as independent state

As the New Year holiday is drawing near, more and more people in China are choosing to celebrate the arrival of 2026 with travel.

According to umetrip, a Chinese travel-related mobile service provider, the flight booking reservations from major cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai to popular destinations including southern cities like Sanya, Haikou, Kunming, Guangzhou, and northern areas like Changbai Mountain and Harbin have increased significantly on a month-on-month basis for the New Year holiday.

As of Thursday, more than 2.71 million tickets have been booked in domestic routes, about 35 percent higher than that of last year, the data shows.

"Flights from Shenzhen, Chongqing, and Chengdu to Sanya; from Shanghai and Chengdu to Beihai; from Guangzhou and Shanghai to Changbai Mountains; and from Beijing to Kunming have all recorded seat occupancy rates exceeding 70 percent prior to the New Year holiday," said Yu Haiyan, deputy manager of revenue management office with China Southern Airlines' sales department.

Travel bookings for January 2026 show that ice-and-snow trips and warm-weather getaways remain the dominant themes, with their popularity expected to continue through the Spring Festival, the traditional Chinese New Year, which falls in February 2026.

"Air ticket bookings to Harbin, Shenyang, and Yanbian have increased by 18 percent, 36 percent, and 52 percent, respectively, while those for flights to Haikou and Sanya rose by 19 percent and 51 percent, respectively," said Shi Ke, a researcher of the Qunar Big Data Research Institute.

China sees strong travel demand for upcoming New Year holiday