MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has warned against any Israeli presence in Somaliland, saying such a move could draw a decades-long Middle East conflict into the Horn of Africa and create wider regional instability.
Speaking on Saturday during the opening of the Federal Parliament’s session, Mohamud described Israel as a source of global disputes and said Somalia had previously avoided being directly affected by those tensions.
“The misfortune for us was that this conflict had remained far from us. Those in Somaliland have brought that issue closer,” he said, referring to reported ties between Somaliland and Israel. “It is not easy to bring a conflict that has existed for nearly a century in the Middle East to the Horn of Africa.”
The president argued that Israel’s involvement in Somaliland should not be viewed as temporary, citing past examples where he said Israel maintained a presence after entering disputed territories.
“Study Israel’s history and its conduct; wherever it goes, it does not leave easily,” Mohamud said, adding that Somalia wanted to prevent Israel from establishing a foothold in Somaliland.
His remarks follow a major shift in Somaliland’s international relations after Israel became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland as an independent state in late 2025, a move rejected by Somalia’s federal government, which considers the territory part of its sovereign land.
Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi later visited Israel, where officials from both sides highlighted plans to expand cooperation. Somaliland officials have said there are no plans for an Israeli military base, while confirming areas of cooperation, including security training.
Mohamud said his administration was using diplomatic efforts and other available measures to oppose any Israeli foothold in Somaliland, arguing that such developments would not serve the interests of Somali communities, Somaliland residents, the wider Horn of Africa or the Red Sea region.
“Somalia’s government says clearly and firmly: Israel must leave us,” he said.
The dispute has increased regional debate over Somaliland’s strategic location along the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, an area viewed as increasingly important because of its proximity to major maritime routes and regional security concerns.
