{"id":56672,"date":"2025-12-29T09:22:32","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T09:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/rwanda-backs-au-and-eac-on-somalia-s-sovereignty-and-unity\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T15:22:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T15:22:55","slug":"rwanda-backs-au-and-eac-on-somalia-s-sovereignty-and-unity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-backs-au-and-eac-on-somalia-s-sovereignty-and-unity\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda backs AU and EAC on Somalia\u2019s sovereignty and unity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In a statement issued on Sunday, December 28, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said Rwanda \u201cfully aligns with the statements issued by the African Union and the East African Community in support of Somalia\u201d and encouraged efforts towards a path based on shared peace and prosperity, in accordance with international law.<\/p>\n<p>The position follows strong remarks from the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, who rejected any recognition of Somaliland as an independent state and reiterated the AU\u2019s \u201cunwavering commitment\u201d to the unity and sovereignty of Somalia.<\/p>\n<p>He reaffirmed the AU\u2019s long-standing stance, grounded in the Constitutive Act of the African Union, particularly the principle of respect for the intangibility of borders inherited at independence, as established by the 1964 decision of the Organisation of African Unity.<\/p>\n<p>The AU Commission firmly rejected any initiative aimed at recognising Somaliland, stressing that the region remains an integral part of the Federal Republic of Somalia. It warned that actions undermining Somalia\u2019s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity risk setting a dangerous precedent with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across Africa.<\/p>\n<p>The Commission also reiterated its full support for Somalia\u2019s federal authorities as they seek to consolidate peace, strengthen state institutions and advance inclusive governance.<\/p>\n<p>The renewed diplomatic focus comes after Israel announced on Friday that it viewed Somaliland as an \u201cindependent and sovereign state\u201d, becoming the first country to make such a declaration. The announcement prompted a sharp response from Mogadishu, with Somalia\u2019s federal government describing the move as a \u201cdeliberate attack\u201d on its sovereignty that could undermine regional peace.<\/p>\n<p>Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in May 1991, following years of conflict that left the country in turmoil. Despite maintaining its own government, security structures and currency, it has long lacked formal international recognition.<\/p>\n<p>Several international actors have since distanced themselves from Israel\u2019s declaration. The United States said it would continue to recognise Somalia\u2019s territorial integrity, explicitly stating that this includes Somaliland. The European Union also criticised the move, warning that it threatens peace and security in the region, while urging Somalia and Somaliland to resolve their long-standing differences through dialogue.<\/p>\n<p>Rwanda\u2019s statement adds to mounting regional and international support for the AU\u2019s position that Somalia\u2019s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity must be upheld.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-99802 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/nduhu-8-17a46-4-98b06-ee3e7.jpg\" alt=\"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, led by Olivier Nduhungirehe, said Rwanda \u201cfully aligns with the statements issued by the African Union and the East African Community in support of Somalia\u201d and encouraged efforts towards a path based on shared peace and prosperity, in accordance with international law.\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rwanda has joined the African Union and the East African Community in supporting Somalia\u2019s sovereignty amid renewed debate over Somaliland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000099801,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-56672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000099801,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-29-dec-2025-09-13-am-5948.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-29-dec-2025-09-13-am-5948.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-29-dec-2025-09-13-am-5948.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-29-dec-2025-09-13-am-5948.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-29-dec-2025-09-13-am-5948.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-29-dec-2025-09-13-am-5948.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56672\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000099801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56672"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=56672"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=56672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}