By Asha Elmi - Reporter
Somalia, 30 June 2026 – Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro defended the decision to open an office in Jerusalem, saying the mission is in West Jerusalem, not the eastern part of the city.
Speaking at the fifth session of the Central Council meeting of the ruling Waddani party on Tuesday, Irro said Somaliland and Israel had agreed to open offices as part of their engagement.
“We opened our embassy, and we opened it in Jerusalem,” Irro said. “It was the right decision. It was a decision that will not be reversed.”
Irro said the office was opened in West Jerusalem, which he described as territory recognised as belonging to Israel, while noting that East Jerusalem was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and remains disputed.
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“We opened the embassy in West Jerusalem!,” Irro said. “That is the land all Arab countries recognise as belonging to Israel.”
He accused critics of misleading the public about the location of the office.
Irro also said Israel was the only country that had recognised Somaliland, a self-declared republic that broke away from Somalia in 1991.
Somalia’s federal government considers Somaliland part of its territory and has repeatedly rejected any foreign engagement that treats the region as an independent state.