Israel’s Somaliland move all about ‘strategic objectives’: Somali president

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says Israel’s “unexpected and strange” recognition of Somaliland may have dire implications for Palestinians in Gaza and the Horn of Africa.

“Somaliland has been claiming the secession issue for a long time, over the past three decades, and not one country in the world has recognised it,” Mohamud told Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview from Istanbul, Turkiye, on Tuesday.

“For us, we’ve been trying to reunite the country in a peaceful manner. So after 34 years, it was very unexpected and strange that Israel, out of nowhere, just jumped in and said, ‘We recognise Somaliland.'”

He said the recognition “was not merely a diplomatic gesture but a cover for specific, high-stakes Israeli strategic objectives”.

Israel last week became the first and only country to formally recognise Somaliland, a breakaway region in northwest Somalia, bordering the Gulf of Aden.

Mohamud did not mince words over what he said is the true intent behind Israel’s overture to Somaliland, a region that has sought international recognition for more than three decades without success.

Israel will resort to forcibly displacing Palestinians to Somalia, the Somali leader said. Its moves will “open a box of evils in the world”, he added, arguing Israel is attempting to “export its problem in Gaza” to the Horn of Africa.

“Israel does not have any peaceful intentions in coming to Somalia. This is a step of utmost danger, and the whole world, especially Arabs and Muslims, must view it as a serious threat,” said Mohamud.

According to Somali intelligence, Somaliland has accepted three Israeli conditions in exchange for Israeli recognition: the resettlement of Palestinians, the establishment of an Israeli military base on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, and Somaliland joining the Abraham Accords, Somalia’s president said.

The accords are a set of pacts establishing the normalisation of ties between Israel and several Arab states. The UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan have already signed on.

Somalia has intelligence indicating there is already a level of Israeli presence in Somaliland, and Israeli recognition of the region is merely a normalisation of what is already happening covertly, Mohamud said.

Strategically important waterways

A 20-point plan released by the administration of US President Donald Trump before a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza said “no one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return”.

However, Israel has reportedly continued to explore ways to displace Palestinians from the besieged and occupied territory, including in mysterious flights to South Africa, which has formally accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

Israel is also seeking to control strategically important waterways connecting vital seas of commercial and economic significance, namely the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Mohamud said.

The Somali leader was in Turkiye on Tuesday, where he gave a joint news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with the two leaders warning Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region could destabilise the Horn of Africa.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but failed to gain recognition from any United Nations member state – before Israel changed its position last Friday.

Israel’s move was swiftly condemned, including by most members of the UN Security Council at an emergency meeting convened in New York on Monday.

The United States was the only member of the 15-seat body that defended Israel’s move, although it stressed the US’s position on Somaliland remained unchanged.

Addressing the position of the US, Mohamud dismissed its ambiguous stance and said Washington made its policy clear. “We judge the United States by what it says. It was quite clear … they stood with the sovereignty of Somalia and distanced themselves from Israel [on this issue].”

The al-Shabab threat

The interview with Al Jazeera also addressed concerns that the armed group al-Shabab might exploit anti-Israel sentiment to bolster its recruitment of more members. The armed group recently issued a statement condemning the Israeli move, threatening to target any Israeli presence in the region.

Mohamud dismissed al-Shabab’s rhetoric, calling it a proxy for al-Qaeda that has no genuine interest in Somali sovereignty.

“They are the ones who made Somalia weak, which is why Israel is trying to come here now,” he argued. “Let them stop terrorism and make peace … instead of claiming to defend Somalia against Israel.”

Defending his government’s track record against al-Shabab, Mohamud cited recent territorial gains against the group and the successful holding of direct elections – the first since 1969 – as proof the country is moving towards stability despite external pressures.

“Somalia has been in a unique situation for the past two years,” he concluded. “It is time for Somalia to get out of the quagmire it has been in for a long time.”