Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has said his country does not want Israel to establish a presence in Somaliland, warning Tel Aviv’s recognition of the breakaway region risks bringing its conflicts to the region.
“We have never attacked Israel. We have never created a problem for Israel. We don't want Israel to come to us and bring their problem to us,” Mohamud told TRT World in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
Earlier, Mohamud said the breakaway region of Somaliland has agreed to resettle Palestinians and host an Israeli military base in return for recognition by Israel, citing intelligence reports.
Tel Aviv’s recognition of Somaliland was “very unexpected and strange,” Mohamud told Al Jazeera on Tuesday, adding that it came “out of nowhere” as Israel became the first since 1991 to recognise the region as an independent state.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has operated as a de facto self-governing region without international recognition.
Mogadishu rejects Somaliland’s independence claim, considers the region part of Somalia, and views any direct engagement with it as a violation of the country’s sovereignty.
“We’ve been trying to reunite the country peacefully,” Mohamud said.
He said Somaliland also accepted joining the Abraham Accords, signed in 2020 between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco to normalise their relations.
Israel is seeking to control strategically important waterways such as the Red Sea, the Gulf, and the Gulf of Aden, and its recognition of Somaliland merely normalises an existing covert presence there, the Somali president said, citing intelligence reports.
Türkiye ties
Mohamud said Türkiye has tried to mediate between Somaliland and Somalia, holding meetings in 2015 and maintaining a representative in Hargeisa to continue the dialogue.
Ankara has traditionally stood with Somalia, Mohamud said, consistently supporting its unity and sovereignty during times of challenge.
Türkiye has a tradition of always standing with people who have been subjected to injustice, he added.
“If Israel makes a proxy territory to attack the interests of other people, then those people will also attack back in Somaliland and Somalia, which is not going to be a very good experience,” Mohamud warned.
He said establishing a military base in Somaliland and forcibly relocating Palestinians would escalate the conflict, a move the Somali government and people have categorically rejected.
