MOGADISHU – China’s embassy in Somalia on Saturday lashed out at a senior Somaliland official, accusing him of a “shameful fabrication” after he claimed a high-level Chinese visit to Mogadishu was cancelled due to insecurity.
The diplomatic spat erupted after Khadar Hussein Abdi, the minister of the Somaliland presidency, shared a statement purportedly from Beijing’s foreign ministry. The document suggested that Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s planned visit to the Somali capital on Friday had been delayed because of safety concerns.
“Whatever you do, you can never change the reality that Somaliland is part of Somalia,” the Chinese embassy in Mogadishu said in a stinging rebuttal, describing the minister’s post as part of a “disinformation campaign.”
Neither Beijing nor Mogadishu has provided an official explanation for the status of Wang Yi’s trip, which had been widely expected on Friday.
Minister Abdi used the incident to mock the federal government’s authority. “Somalia cannot even guarantee the security of its own guests,” he said. “President Hassan Sheikh should focus on stabilizing his own city and country instead of obsessing over Somaliland.”
The war of words comes amid surging regional tensions following Israel’s recent controversial decision to recognize the breakaway region of Somaliland as a sovereign state.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has dismissed the move, insisting that a “letter written by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu” cannot divide the country.
“One administration that lacks international recognition cannot grant recognition to another,” the president said, referring to Israel’s own diplomatic challenges in some quarters and Somaliland’s status.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has long sought international recognition, a move fiercely opposed by Mogadishu.
The recent Israeli endorsement and the ensuing friction with China—a staunch supporter of Somalia’s territorial integrity—have added a fresh layer of complexity to the Horn of Africa’s volatile geopolitics.
