Somalia and Palestine

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). 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).

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). Somalia's foreign ministry said it "will never accept to make the Palestinian people stateless" (Somalia MFA).

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). Somalia had joined the Arab League on 14 February 1974 (Somali Archive).

In 2012 the two re-established diplomatic relations, when Palestinian envoy Kamil Abdallah presented credentials to President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed with a message from President Mahmoud Abbas (Hiiraan Online, 22 April 2012).

Who are the ambassadors and envoys?

• Kamil Abdallah, Palestinian envoy, credentials presented in April 2012 (Hiiraan Online).
• Rowaid Adil Mohamed (spelt Ruwid Adel Mohammed by SONNA), ambassador of the State of Palestine, credentials received on 30 January 2025 (SONNA; SoDMA, 4 February 2025).

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).
• 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; Al Jazeera, 11 January 2026).
• 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).
• 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).
• Mahamoud Moallim, head of the Somali Disaster Management Agency, met Ambassador Rowaid with clerics Bashir Ahmed Salad and Ali Mahamud Hassan (Wajis) on support for Gaza (SoDMA).
• 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).

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).

What about security?

No military ties exist. See 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).
• 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).
• 15 June 2026: Hamas called the opening of Somaliland's embassy in Jerusalem a "political sin" (Al-Quds, 15 June 2026).

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).
• 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).

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). At the UN Security Council, Somalia called on Israel to "respond to the international community's calls for restraint" (SONNA).

Related pages

• Somalia and Israel
• Somalia and the Arab League
• Somalia and the OIC
• Somalia and Algeria
• Somaliland, 1991 to 2026