Mogadishu (Somalia Today) – Former Somali information minister Zakaria Mahmoud Haji Abdi has accused Israel of penetrating Somali political decision-making through Ethiopia and exploiting the country’s weak institutions.
In an interview with Egypt Independent, Zakaria said Israel’s influence in Somalia goes beyond its recognition of Somaliland and reflects a longer pattern involving Ethiopia, the Red Sea and Somali leaders’ failure to rebuild a strong national state.
“Israel has deeply infiltrated Somalia’s institutions and penetrated Somali political decision-making,” Zakaria said.
He said Somalis bore the first responsibility for the country’s vulnerability, but argued that regional and international actors had exploited the vacuum created by decades of state weakness.
“The primary responsibility lies with the Somalis themselves, and this is what allowed the fragmentation to occur,” he said. “However, Arab states and countries of the Horn of Africa also bear responsibility.”
Ethiopia link
Zakaria said Israel had used Ethiopia as an entry point into Somali affairs, describing Ethiopia’s 2006 military intervention in Somalia as a proxy conflict that served both Ethiopian and Israeli interests.
“Israel penetrates Somalia through Ethiopia, as the two countries share relations and mutual interests,” he said.
Ethiopia sent troops into Somalia in late 2006 to back the Transitional Federal Government against the Islamic Courts Union, which had taken control of Mogadishu and much of southern Somalia.
The intervention helped oust the courts, but also triggered years of insurgency, displacement and political instability.
Zakaria said he was part of the Somali Re-Liberation Alliance during the period of Ethiopian military intervention and viewed the conflict as part of a wider regional contest.
“When Ethiopia occupied parts of Somalia, it was effectively a proxy war,” he said. “Israel had an interest in fragmenting Somalia, while Ethiopia had a direct interest in fighting Somalia and occupying parts of it. Thus, Ethiopian and Israeli objectives converged.”
He said Ethiopia continues to occupy part of western Somalia, a reference to long-running Somali nationalist claims over the Somali-inhabited Ogaden region of Ethiopia.
Somaliland context
Zakaria’s remarks came months after Israel formally recognised Somaliland as an independent state on December 26, becoming the first country to do so since the region declared independence from Somalia in 1991.
Somalia rejected the move as a violation of its sovereignty, while the African Union reaffirmed its support for Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visited Hargeisa on January 6, where he met Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi and discussed bilateral ties.
Somalia condemned the visit as interference in its internal affairs. Israel also announced plans to establish an embassy and appoint an ambassador, despite widespread international criticism.
Zakaria said the danger for Somalia goes beyond the recognition itself and lies in what he described as Israel’s presence in Berbera and its ability to influence Somali politics through regional partners.
“We must recognise the danger of its presence in Berbera, as well as the risks posed by delays in achieving national unity and saving what remains of the Somali state,” he said.
Failed federalism
Zakaria linked foreign influence to Somalia’s internal political model, saying the federal system had deepened divisions rather than managed them.
“The federal system has failed catastrophically,” he said.
He argued that Somalia’s crisis does not stem from social fragmentation because Somalis share language, religion and culture, but from the absence of a nationally agreed political programme.
“The Somali people are united in every sense, culturally, religiously and linguistically,” he said. “But the absence of a nationally agreed political programme negotiated among all Somalis is the root of the crisis.”
Zakaria said Somalia had gone 36 years without “a true state of institutions”, despite the resilience of the Somali people and the continued existence of strong national bonds.
“The problem is not with the people, but with those currently in power,” he said.
He called for urgent national unity, fair elections, and a move beyond what he described as the current political leadership made up of “warlords.”
Wider regional struggle
Zakaria also linked Somalia’s crisis to broader tensions involving Ethiopia, Egypt, and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
“There is no doubt that Israel has played a role in deepening the crisis surrounding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam,” he said.
He did not provide specific evidence for that claim, but argued that Israel’s strong ties with Ethiopia and its growing links in Somalia gave it influence across the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.
“Israel also possesses extensive alliances and networks across the region,” he said.
Haji warned that Somalia’s weakness could no longer be treated as a domestic issue.
He said the country’s location along the Gulf of Aden and near the Red Sea means its instability affects maritime security, Arab national security and the balance of power in the Horn of Africa.
He urged Arab states to take a more active role in resolving Somalia’s crisis, rather than leaving the field open to outside powers.
“I advise the Arab states to become actively involved in resolving the Somali crisis and to play a role that protects Arab national security rather than leaving the arena open to others,” he said.
