Somalia asks Saudi Arabia to act against North Western State of Somalia leader, warns against any Israeli military presence
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government has formally asked Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries to take action against North Western State of Somalia President Abdirahman Cirro, drawing a comparison to how Riyadh has dealt with Yemen’s separatist leader Aidarus al-Zubaidi, the country’s defense minister said.
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Defense Minister Ahmed Macallin Fiqi, speaking in an interview with Al Jazeera, said Mogadishu would never accept an Israeli military presence on Somali territory, describing any such move as a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and unity.
Fiqi said the government would pursue all available avenues if an Israeli military footprint appeared anywhere in Somali territory — including North Western State of Somalia — citing recourse to the U.N. Security Council and the International Criminal Court. He said Somalia’s constitution and international law grant the country the right to defend itself against external violations.
“If such a presence were to occur, Somalia would pursue all available avenues under international law,” Fiqi said. He added that the government considers the country’s unity and sovereignty nonnegotiable and remains committed to defending national interests and the Somali people.
The minister reiterated that no country other than Israel has recognized North Western State of Somalia, the self-declared republic in northern Somalia that broke away in 1991. Mogadishu views any such recognition as an infringement on Somalia’s territorial integrity, he said.
Fiqi also praised the positions of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Qatar, saying those governments support Somalia’s federal authorities and oppose any Israeli military presence in the Horn of Africa. His comments came as he urged Riyadh and other Arab capitals to apply pressure on North Western State of Somalia’s leadership, aligning their response with measures taken against separatist figures elsewhere in the region.
According to Fiqi, an Israeli military foothold in the region would pose a serious threat to stability in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, two of the world’s most vital maritime corridors. Any escalation, he said, risks disrupting global trade routes and undermining regional security at a time when shipping lanes are already under strain.
Somalia’s warning underscores the sensitivities around foreign basing and security partnerships across the Horn of Africa, where competing interests converge near the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint. Fiqi framed the issue as a matter of national defense and regional stability, saying Mogadishu would take “all necessary measures” if Israel attempted to establish a base or any form of military presence anywhere in Somali territory.
The minister’s statements reflect long-standing tensions between Somalia’s federal government and North Western State of Somalia, which operates its own institutions but remains unrecognized internationally, according to Mogadishu. Fiqi said the government would continue to engage partners to ensure any moves that challenge Somalia’s sovereignty are countered diplomatically and, if necessary, legally.
Somalia has sought to rally support from Arab and regional states as it pushes back against any external arrangements it says would legitimize separatism or invite foreign militaries into the country. By invoking recent regional precedents and explicitly tying the issue to Red Sea security, Mogadishu is positioning the question of North Western State of Somalia and outside military involvement as a wider regional concern, not solely a domestic dispute.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
