# Somalia and Palestine > Somalia and Palestine: recognition in 1988, envoys, Somali support at the UN and Arab League, Gaza aid, and the Somaliland and displacement dispute. Source page: https://calankii.com/en/relations/palestine/ Last checked: 2026-11-13 Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com) ## How do Somalia and Palestine relate today? Somalia recognises the State of Palestine and supports a state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital ([Radio Algérie, 10 November 2025](https://news.radioalgerie.dz/fr/node/73911)). On 30 January 2025 Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi received the credentials of Palestine's ambassador, Rowaid Adil Mohamed. He said Somalia would keep backing an "independent and sovereign state" for Palestinians ([SONNA, 30 January 2025](https://sonna.so/en/minister-of-foreign-affairs-receives-credentials-from-palestinian-thai-ambassadors)). The Somaliland question has drawn the two closer. Palestine signed the December 2025 joint statement rejecting Israel's recognition of Somaliland ([Radio Algérie, 28 December 2025](https://news.radioalgerie.dz/en/node/76724)). Somalia's foreign ministry said it "will never accept to make the Palestinian people stateless" ([Somalia MFA](https://web.mfa.gov.so/?p=8088)). ## When did contact begin? Somalia recognised the State of Palestine on 15 November 1988, the day of the Palestinian declaration of independence, as Algeria did ([UNESCO, 1989 request for the admission of Palestine, cited in Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine%E2%80%93Somalia_relations)). Somalia had joined the Arab League on 14 February 1974 ([Somali Archive](https://somaliarchive77.substack.com/p/the-arabs-and-somalis-need-each-other)). In 2012 the two re-established diplomatic relations, when Palestinian envoy Kamil Abdallah presented credentials to President [Sharif Sheikh Ahmed](/en/people/sharif-sheikh-ahmed/) with a message from President Mahmoud Abbas ([Hiiraan Online, 22 April 2012](https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2012/Apr/23734/somalia_and_palestine_re_establish_diplomatic_relations.aspx)). ## Who are the ambassadors and envoys? - **Kamil Abdallah**, Palestinian envoy, credentials presented in April 2012 ([Hiiraan Online](https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2012/Apr/23734/somalia_and_palestine_re_establish_diplomatic_relations.aspx)). - **Rowaid Adil Mohamed** (spelt Ruwid Adel Mohammed by [SONNA](/en/institutions/state-media/)), ambassador of the State of Palestine, credentials received on 30 January 2025 ([SONNA](https://sonna.so/en/minister-of-foreign-affairs-receives-credentials-from-palestinian-thai-ambassadors); [SoDMA, 4 February 2025](https://sodma.gov.so/eng/?p=4837)). Somalia has no embassy in Palestine in the sources found. ## Who built the tie? - **Mahmoud Abbas**, Palestinian president, sent a message to Somalia's president when relations were renewed in 2012 ([Hiiraan Online](https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2012/Apr/23734/somalia_and_palestine_re_establish_diplomatic_relations.aspx)). - **Sharif Sheikh Ahmed**, Somalia's president, received the Palestinian envoy in 2012 (same source). - **Ahmed Moallim Fiqi**, Somalia's foreign minister, received Ambassador Rowaid in January 2025. As defence minister in January 2026 he said Somalia had "confirmed information" that Israel planned to move Palestinians to Somaliland ([SONNA](https://sonna.so/en/minister-of-foreign-affairs-receives-credentials-from-palestinian-thai-ambassadors); [Al Jazeera, 11 January 2026](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/11/somali-minister-says-israel-plans-to-displace-palestinians-to-somaliland)). - **[Hassan Sheikh Mohamud](/en/people/hassan-sheikh-mohamud/)**, Somalia's president, told the Baghdad Arab summit in May 2025 that "the Palestinian cause is a test for us Arabs" ([Somalia MFA](https://web.mfa.gov.so/somali-president-reaffirms-support-for-palestine-at-baghdad-summit/)). - **Abukar Osman Baalle**, Somalia's UN ambassador, told the Security Council in January 2025 that Somalia was "gravely concerned" about Gaza ([SONNA, 4 January 2025](https://sonna.so/en/somalia-declares-firm-stance-on-palestine-at-un-security-council)). - **Mahamoud Moallim**, head of the [Somali Disaster Management Agency](/en/institutions/disaster-management-agency/), met Ambassador Rowaid with clerics **Bashir Ahmed Salad** and **Ali Mahamud Hassan (Wajis)** on support for Gaza ([SoDMA](https://sodma.gov.so/eng/?p=4837)). - **Abdullahi Janagale**, chairman of the Somali Action Network, led the "Somali Kitchen in Gaza", backed by more than US$250,000 raised by Somalis, which served daily meals from 29 July 2025 ([TRT Afrika](https://www.trtafrika.com/english/article/2faa407e47b0)). ## What agreements have they signed? No bilateral agreements appear in the sources found. Both signed joint statements in the Arab League and OIC, listed below. ## Which leaders have visited? No state visits appear in the sources found. ## How much do they trade? No trade figures between Somalia and Palestine are published in WITS. ## How much aid and money has gone in? Somalia's aid to Gaza has been private. The Somali Kitchen in Gaza raised more than US$250,000 from Somalis at home and abroad, about US$5,000 a day during a 50-day campaign, sent through the Palestinian Scholars Association ([TRT Afrika](https://www.trtafrika.com/english/article/2faa407e47b0)). ## What about security? No military ties exist. See [Foreign forces in Somalia](/en/institutions/foreign-forces-in-somalia/). ## How does Palestine deal with Somaliland and the member states? Palestine treats Somaliland as part of Somalia: - **28 December 2025**: Palestine signed the joint statement of 21 states and the OIC rejecting Israel's recognition of Somaliland ([Radio Algérie](https://news.radioalgerie.dz/en/node/76724)). - **May 2026**: Palestine joined 19 states rejecting Somaliland's plan to open an embassy in Jerusalem, which they said violates "the rights of the Palestinian people" ([Al-Quds, 26 May 2026](https://alquds.com/en/posts/241380)). - **15 June 2026**: Hamas called the opening of Somaliland's embassy in Jerusalem a "political sin" ([Al-Quds, 15 June 2026](https://alquds.com/en/posts/244616)). ## Have there been disputes? There are no disputes between Somalia and Palestine in the sources found. The dispute is over Gaza and Somaliland: - **Somalia's position**: Defence Minister Fiqi said in January 2026 that Israel planned to transfer Palestinians to Somaliland, calling it a "serious violation" of international law ([Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/11/somali-minister-says-israel-plans-to-displace-palestinians-to-somaliland)). - **Israel's position**: Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said displacement to Somaliland "was not part of our agreement" (same source). - **Somaliland's position**: its foreign ministry had denied agreeing to resettle Palestinians (same source). ## How many Somalis live in Palestine? No count of Somalis in Palestine appears in UNHCR data ([UNHCR, 2025](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=300&yearFrom=2025&yearTo=2025&coo=SOM&coa_all=true)). ## Where does Palestine stand in the UN and other bodies on Somalia? Somalia supports full UN membership for Palestine, as set out in its August 2025 joint communiqué with Algeria ([Radio Algérie, August 2025](https://news.radioalgerie.dz/fr/node/69164)). At the UN Security Council, Somalia called on Israel to "respond to the international community's calls for restraint" ([SONNA](https://sonna.so/en/somalia-declares-firm-stance-on-palestine-at-un-security-council)). ## Related pages - [Somalia and Israel](/en/relations/israel/) - [Somalia and the Arab League](/en/relations/arab-league/) - [Somalia and the OIC](/en/relations/oic/) - [Somalia and Algeria](/en/relations/algeria/) - [Somaliland, 1991 to 2026](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/) --- I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.