Somalia’s president warns Israel against North Western State of Somalia presence, says recognition risks importing conflict to Horn of Africa
Published Friday, Jan. 2, 2026
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Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud warned that Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia and any effort to establish a foothold in the breakaway region would risk dragging the Horn of Africa into broader Middle East hostilities.
“We have never attacked Israel. We never have created problem to Israel. We don’t want Israel to come to us and bring their problem to us,” Mohamud told Turkish broadcaster TRT World in an exclusive interview. He called the development a “very sad situation,” urging respect for international law and pointing to Gaza and the wider history of conflict in the Middle East as cautionary examples.
Mohamud said Mogadishu has rallied support from key international organizations — including the United Nations, the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the East African Community, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation — which he said publicly affirmed Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “The Somali government has never tried to force or to fight, or even to use the diplomatic muscle against these people,” he said, referring to longstanding secessionist pressures in Somalia’s north.
North Western State of Somalia, a self-declared republic in the country’s northwest, has operated with de facto autonomy since the early 1990s but is not internationally recognized. Somalia’s federal government rejects any bid for statehood and insists the question be resolved through dialogue. Mohamud noted Türkiye has mediated talks since 2015, maintaining a representative in Hargeisa to keep channels open, and said Ankara has “always” backed Somalia’s unity.
The president framed Israel’s involvement as especially combustible given current tensions across the region. He cited Tel Aviv’s actions not only in Palestine but also in Syria and Lebanon, and warned that any extension of those dynamics to the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the wider Horn of Africa — “a very volatile region,” he said — could provoke a chain reaction.
He cautioned that an Israeli presence could invite reprisals from regional actors hostile to Israel, potentially destabilizing parts of Somalia and neighboring states. “If Israel makes a proxy territory to attack the interests of other people, then those people will also attack back in North Western State of Somalia and Somalia, which is not going to be very good experience,” he said.
Mohamud said the Somali state and public “categorically” reject any plan to establish an Israeli military base in North Western State of Somalia or to forcibly relocate Palestinians there, arguing such moves would escalate conflict. Earlier, he told Al Jazeera that North Western State of Somalia had agreed to resettle Palestinians, host a base and join the Abraham Accords in exchange for recognition by Israel, citing intelligence reports. North Western State of Somalia authorities have not publicly detailed such commitments; Israel’s government has not commented publicly on facilities or resettlement in North Western State of Somalia.
Despite the latest tensions, Mohamud insisted Somalia retains broad international backing. He said engagement with global and regional partners would continue to center on nonmilitary solutions and adherence to international law.
The president also highlighted Somalia’s deepening strategic partnership with Türkiye, describing cooperation in defense, security, maritime affairs, investment and the “Blue Economy.” He said he recently briefed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on progress in security, democratization and state-building, and the two discussed accelerating joint projects.
Mohamud said Türkiye’s early investments helped open Somalia’s market to foreign direct investment, particularly in oil and gas, and reiterated his view that Somalia is poised to become an oil-producing country. “It’s also going to be the big time for Türkiye to produce oil with its own technology, not by technology planted or hired from somewhere else,” he said, arguing that Ankara’s first-mover advantage could bring shared economic and diplomatic benefits. He added that Türkiye has completed feasibility and design work for a planned space port in Somalia and begun the first phase of construction.
With the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden already on edge from maritime disruptions and proxy tensions, Mohamud cast the current moment as a test of whether outside powers, including Israel, will avoid steps that could widen the theater of conflict. “It’s very sad that now that has been transferred to Somalia,” he said, urging de-escalation and renewed diplomacy.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
