Somalia president vows to thwart Israel’s ‘distorted strategy’

Las Anod (Somalia Today) — Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud vowed on Saturday to block Israel’s “distorted strategy” in the Horn of Africa after Israel became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland, the self-declared republic in northwest Somalia.

Speaking in Las Anod, a town wrested from Somaliland’s administration by unionist fighters in 2023, Mohamud said Somalia would not allow any foreign power to cultivate a proxy entity on Somali territory.

“It is impossible for Israel to establish inside Somalia a government that executes its distorted strategy,” he said, delivering the warning as a new regional leader was inaugurated in the area now styled as Somalia’s Northeastern State.

Israel announced on December 26 that it had recognised Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state, a step Somaliland’s leaders hailed as a breakthrough after more than three decades of de facto self-rule without international recognition.

Israel defended the decision as a sovereign act, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar travelling to Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa, on January 6 to meet Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, according to regional analysts and media reports.

Somalia’s federal government condemned the move as an illegal violation of its territorial integrity, arguing that it contravenes the internationally recognised borders of the Somali state and risks legitimising unilateral secession.

Diplomatic backlash

The African Union’s Peace and Security Council met at the ministerial level on January 6 and issued a communique reaffirming Somalia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and stability in response to Israel’s recognition.

A cross-regional group of countries also issued statements rejecting Israel’s move and condemning Saar’s visit as “illegal”, with Türkiye’s foreign ministry publishing a joint statement recalling a December 27 rejection of the recognition and denouncing the January 6 trip.

The dispute lands at a time of heightened insecurity in the wider Red Sea basin. Since the Gaza war began, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have repeatedly targeted commercial shipping, raising the strategic temperature across the Gulf of Aden and the approaches to the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

In Las Anod, Mohamud also addressed claims circulating in regional debate about potential plans to relocate Palestinians from Gaza. He said Somalia would not serve as a destination for displaced Gazans and rejected any effort to shift the Middle East conflict into the Horn of Africa.

The recognition has been accompanied by allegations and denials about whether Somaliland could feature in such plans. Somaliland has rejected the idea, while Israel has denied that it seeks forced relocation.

Las Anod symbolism

Mohamud’s remarks came as he presided over ceremonies in Las Anod, the administrative centre of Sool region, to mark the inauguration of Abdulqadir Ahmed Aw-Ali, widely known as Firdhiye, as leader of Somalia’s newly formed Northeastern State.

The new administration emerged from the SSC-Khaatumo movement, which rose to prominence after months of fighting in and around Las Anod in 2023.

The conflict ended with Somaliland forces withdrawing from much of the area, shifting control on the ground and deepening the political contest over the region’s future.

Mohamud described Las Anod as “the capital of unity” and framed the new administration as a step away from the colonial-era fragmentation that split Somali-inhabited territories into separate jurisdictions.

Directing an appeal to Somaliland’s leadership, he urged dialogue “at all levels” and said he was willing to compromise on political arrangements — but not on the unity of the internationally recognised Somali state.

“All Somalis belong to one country — Somalia,” he said, warning leaders not to “waste time trying to create a new one,” according to remarks shared by participants.

Somaliland declared independence in 1991 after the collapse of Somalia’s central government. It has built its own institutions, elections and security forces, but it has never been recognised by the United Nations or the African Union.

Prisoner exchange push

Mohamud also called on the Northeastern State and Somaliland to release prisoners captured in the 2023 conflict, saying his government would back an exchange as part of broader reconciliation.

“Keeping Somali boys in detention on either side is unjustifiable,” he said, urging local leaders to treat prisoner releases as a confidence-building measure to stabilise contested areas and reduce the risk of renewed clashes.

The Las Anod events drew delegations from Somalia’s federal government and traditional leaders from across the country, while diplomats also travelled to the town in what observers described as a show of support for Mogadishu’s position.

Even so, the gathering underscored Somalia’s internal political strains. The country has seen periodic disputes between the federal leadership and some regional administrations over elections, security cooperation and the balance of power between Mogadishu and federal member states.

For Mohamud, Las Anod provided a stage to project national unity at a moment when Israel’s recognition of Somaliland has sharpened arguments over sovereignty, borders and external influence — and when Somalia is seeking to mobilise diplomatic backing against any precedent that could encourage further fragmentation.

Strategic coastline

Somaliland’s location along the Gulf of Aden has long given it strategic weight beyond its size, sitting near the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint linking the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean — a corridor central to global trade and regional security planning.

Analysts say Israel’s decision reflects security calculations tied to the Red Sea basin, including the desire to monitor threats emanating from Yemen, where the Houthis have repeatedly targeted commercial shipping.

Somali officials and regional observers warn that the dispute could also feed militant narratives inside Somalia, where the federal government continues to fight an Islamist insurgency and relies heavily on international security assistance.

Somaliland has pursued recognition for decades by pointing to its relative stability and elections, in contrast to Somalia’s long insurgency and political fragmentation.

Yet the African Union has generally opposed border changes, arguing that altering inherited boundaries could encourage secessionist bids elsewhere on the continent.

Israel’s recognition also intersects with Somaliland’s broader outreach. Officials in Hargeisa have promoted deeper external partnerships, presenting diplomatic engagement as a pathway to legitimacy and economic investment.

Ethiopia precedent

The recognition dispute follows another major sovereignty clash: Somaliland’s January 2024 memorandum of understanding with landlocked Ethiopia, which sought sea access in exchange for a possible future recognition. The agreement triggered an outcry in Mogadishu and raised fears of wider regional tensions.

Somalia’s cabinet rejected that deal, arguing it was void without federal consent. Officials now cite that episode as part of a broader pattern they say seeks to normalise Somaliland’s secession through piecemeal external arrangements.

Diplomatically, Somalia has moved quickly to turn Israel’s decision into a rallying point. China, among others, has publicly affirmed Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding to the list of capitals backing Mogadishu’s stance.

The wider region, meanwhile, remains shaped by overlapping security rivalries and port infrastructure politics. Commercial interests along the Gulf of Aden — including operations at Berbera port — continue to intersect with state-to-state disputes, illustrating how strategic geography and recognition politics now converge on Somalia’s northern coast.