Somalia won’t accept Israeli presence ‘under any circumstances’: President

EXCLUSIVE

In exclusive Al Jazeera interview, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says attempts to propulsion Somalia into Middle East crises won’t succeed.

Somalia volition not judge Israeli beingness successful the state “under immoderate circumstances” and volition defy immoderate attempts to beryllium pulled into the Middle East’s crises, its President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud tells Al Jazeera.

Speaking successful an exclusive interview, Mohamud said that Israel was readying to found a naval basal successful Berbera and usage the city’s airport, adding that its existent purpose was to get person to the Gulf states and Iran.

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Berbera is simply a larboard metropolis connected the Gulf of Aden seashore successful Somaliland – the self-declared republic successful northwestern Somalia that Israel recognised past year, but which is claimed by Mogadishu.

Berbera faces Yemen crossed the h2o adjacent the strategical Bab al-Mandeb strait. The Iran-aligned Houthis person antecedently enforced a blockade connected Israel-linked ships successful the area.

“We volition flooded the challenges posed to our state by Israeli moves,” Mohamud said successful his wide-ranging interview.

He added that the Israeli plans autumn nether the “Greater Israel” task – referring to a word for assorted proposals, often rooted successful biblical interpretations, for Israeli power implicit territory beyond its existent borders. Some versions widen from the Nile to the Euphrates.

Israel has not adopted it arsenic authoritative policy, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said successful an August 2025 interrogation that helium felt connected to the vision, prompting condemnation from Arab governments.

The Somali president described Israel arsenic a “destabilising force” that does not abide by planetary law.

He besides criticised Tel Aviv’s recognition of Somaliland successful December.

No state different than Israel recognises Somaliland, portion the region’s ain residents are wholly opposed to an Israeli presence, Mohamud said.

Somaliland declared independency from Somalia successful 1991 and has governed itself independently for much than 3 decades. But it had not secured designation from immoderate United Nations subordinate authorities until Israel’s move.

Fight against equipped groups

The Somali president told Al Jazeera the United States remains his country’s strongest spouse successful the combat against “terrorism”, and added that al-Shabab has nary beingness successful the large cities, leaving nary anticipation of the radical taking power successful Somalia.

Al-Shabab is simply a Somali equipped radical that emerged from the Islamic Courts Union successful the mid-2000s and pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda successful 2012. It has fought Somalia’s national authorities for years, holds territory successful parts of confederate and cardinal Somalia, and has carried retired deadly attacks, including successful Mogadishu and successful neighbouring Kenya.

Regarding the East Africa region, Mohamud said Somalia’s relations with neighbouring Ethiopia are good, and Mogadishu does not entity to Addis Ababa gaining entree to the oversea done Somali territory.

Ethiopia has been landlocked since Eritrea became autarkic successful 1993 and relies mostly connected Djibouti’s ports for trade. In January 2024, Addis Ababa signed a memorandum of knowing with Somaliland connected oversea access, which Somalia condemned arsenic a usurpation of its sovereignty. Somalia and Ethiopia aboriginal agreed to easiness tensions.

Houthis ‘destabilising’ region

Mohamud besides accused Yemen’s Houthis of “destabilising” the portion and disrupting navigation successful the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

His comments travel arsenic the radical attempts to physique connected its lightning violative that captured the country’s Red Sea coast past month.

Thus far, Yemeni authorities forces person been capable to clasp their positions connected the beforehand lines and adjacent claimed to person inflicted dense losses against the Houthis.

The Houthis person besides intensified their attacks connected Saudi Arabia, but the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has promised not to compromise connected its security, saying the Yemeni rebels chose “chaos and destruction, threatening the Yemeni radical and the region”.

The afloat interrogation with President Mohamud volition beryllium broadcast connected Al Jazeera Arabic connected Sunday.