by Stefano Vaccara
NEW YORK (USA) (ITALPRESS) – The Somali Presidency of the UN Security Council for January 2026 opened with a press conference by Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman, Permanent Representative of Somalia to the United Nations. At the center of the official briefing there was the working program of the month, but the questions of journalists focused mainly on two explosive political themes: Somaliland case and recent offensive statements attributed to US President Donald Trump against Somalia and Somali.
On the first point, Osman strongly reiterated the position of Mogadishu: the Israeli “renewal” of Somaliland – defined by the diplomat as an attempt to legitimize a secessionist project in the north-west of the country – is read by Somalia as a calculated move and linked to the Middle Eastern context. According to Osman, this is an operation designed to “distract” international attention from what is happening in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Somali representative also argued that the hypothesis of transferring Palestinians from Gaza to that area would be “unacceptable”, rejecting the idea of accepting “one Palestinian” in a forced manner.
As for the tensions with Washington, Osman has avoided entering into the merits of Trump’s personal statements, defining it as a “social media” theme and claiming that it does not see a change of line in US politics on sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia. Asked about the bilateral relationship, he said that cooperation with the United States continues, especially in the fight against Al-Shabaab, and that relations with the American mission to the UN remain “very good”.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
