Israel’s formal recognition last week of Somaliland, located in northeastern Africa, as a sovereign and independent state has sparked a backlash from Somalia. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud recently accused Somaliland of agreeing to resettle displaced Palestinians from Gaza and allowing Israel to establish military bases in the country in exchange for Israeli recognition of its independence. However, the Somaliland government subsequently denied these claims.
According to AFP, Muhammad, citing intelligence sources, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that Somaliland has accepted three conditions proposed by Israel, including resettling Palestinians from Gaza, allowing Israel to establish a military base in the Gulf of Aden, and joining the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel.
In response, the Somaliland Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied both allegations and issued a statement on the social media platform X, stating that the allegations lack factual basis, are intended to mislead the international community, and undermine Somaliland’s recent diplomatic progress. The statement emphasized that the agreement between Somaliland and Israel is “purely diplomatic in nature.”
Analysts point out that Somaliland’s geographical location is of high strategic value, being adjacent to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital global shipping route, and close to areas where the Houthi rebels operate. This group, supported by Iran, has launched numerous attacks on Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza War.
Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991, a claim that has yet to be widely recognized by the international community. However, compared to other long-standing turbulent regions in Somalia, Somaliland enjoys relative political stability and has established its own electoral system, currency, and army. Due to its proximity to one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, the country has gradually become an object of attention and cooperation from many countries.