Rwanda fully aligns with the statements issued by the African Union and the East African Community in support of Somalia, and encourages the pursuit of a path forward based on shared peace and prosperity, in accordance with international law, the ministry of foreign affairs said on Sunday, December 28.

On Sunday, the EAC also issued a statement reaffirming the unity and territorial integrity of Somalia, a member of the regional bloc.

ALSO READ: Somalia pays its $7.8m full budget contribution to EAC budget

In accordance with the EAC Treaty, the regional bloc’s statements states, the bloc recognises Somalia "with its borders inherited at independence.”

Somalia officially joined the EAC by becoming the bloc’s eighth partner state on March 4, 2024.

Earlier, on December 26, after Israel became the first country to formally recognise Somalia&039;s breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent nation, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, rejected any recognition of Somaliland and reaffirmed the AU’s unwavering commitment to the unity and sovereignty of Somalia.

ALSO READ: AU ‘rejects any recognition of Somaliland’ after Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced, on Friday, that Israel and Somaliland signed a joint declaration establishing full diplomatic relations, describing it as being "in the spirit of the Abraham Accords”, a set of deals brokered by the United States to establish formal ties between Israel and Arab states.

In reaction, Youssouf reiterated the AU’s unwavering commitment to the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Somalia, as well as its full support for the efforts of the Somali authorities to consolidate peace, strengthen State institutions, and advance inclusive governance.