Somalia cautions Israel against any footprint or activities in North Western State of Somalia

Somalia warns Israel against presence in North Western State of Somalia, citing risk of regional spillover

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s president warned Tuesday that any Israeli move to recognize or establish a presence in North Western State of Somalia would export Middle East conflicts to the Horn of Africa, urging respect for Somalia’s sovereignty and international law.

“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,” President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told Turkey’s TRT World in an exclusive interview. He called the prospect of Israeli involvement in North Western State of Somalia “a very sad situation.”

Mohamud said Israel’s recent actions are not “compatible or convenient” with international law, citing Gaza and a long history of conflict in the Middle East. “Sadly, that has now been transferred to Somalia,” he said.

The president said Mogadishu has engaged the United Nations, African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, East African Community, Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation, all of which he said affirmed support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Somalia maintains that North Western State of Somalia, a self-declared republic in the country’s north, remains part of its national territory.

Mohamud stressed the government’s preference for dialogue over force in addressing longstanding secessionist pressures. “The Somali government has never tried to force or to fight, or even to use the diplomatic muscle against these people,” he said, adding that differences must be resolved peacefully.

He noted that Türkiye convened talks between North Western State of Somalia and Somalia in 2015 and keeps a representative in Hargeisa to sustain that channel. Ankara has “always” stood with people subjected to injustice, Mohamud said, and has consistently backed Somalia’s unity and sovereignty.

Mohamud argued that the timing and geography of any Israeli engagement in North Western State of Somalia would be highly destabilizing, pointing to rising tensions from Palestine to Syria and Lebanon and security frictions along the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. He described the Horn of Africa as “a very volatile region,” where Somalia is already battling Daesh and al-Shabaab.

An Israeli presence, he warned, could reignite conflict inside parts of Somalia and spread across neighboring states. He noted that Yemen’s Houthis and Iran are hostile toward Israel, raising the risk of proxy confrontations on Somali soil. “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 a very good experience,” he said.

Mohamud said establishing a military base in North Western State of Somalia and forcibly relocating Palestinians there would escalate tensions — steps he said the Somali state and public categorically reject. He also said Somalia retains international backing despite what he described as Israel’s “illegal recognition” of North Western State of Somalia, a characterization he did not elaborate on.

Earlier, in remarks to Al Jazeera, Mohamud alleged — citing intelligence reports — that North Western State of Somalia has agreed to resettle Palestinians, host an Israeli military base and join the Abraham Accords in return for recognition by Israel. Axadle Times could not independently verify those claims.

Somalia’s warning underscores a broader fear that the region’s fragile security architecture could fracture if outside powers use the Horn of Africa as a staging ground for Middle East rivalries. In his TRT World interview, Mohamud cast the issue as a straightforward matter of international law and sovereignty, saying foreign recognition of North Western State of Somalia or any military footprint there would undermine efforts to stabilize Somalia and the wider Gulf of Aden.

“We urge respect for the international legal order,” he said, reiterating that Mogadishu prefers engagement and mediation — not confrontation — to resolve internal political questions. “We don’t want the problems of others to be imported into Somalia.”

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.