Mogadishu (Somalia Today) – Somali government officials have denied widely circulated reports that Mogadishu has banned Israeli-linked ships from passing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, saying no such decision has been made.
They said the claim was based on a misinterpretation of remarks by Somalia’s ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union.
Officials contacted by Somalia Today at both the Office of the Prime Minister and Villa Somalia said they had no knowledge of any such decision, directive or maritime order.
They said no federal institution had announced a ban or issued operational instructions to restrict Israeli-linked shipping in the Bab al-Mandeb or any other international waterway.
Iranian state media and Yemen-based outlets were the first to spread the reports, claiming Somalia had “closed” the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to Israeli shipping in response to Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.
Ambassador Abdullahi Warfa made remarks that led to the claim, warning that foreign interference in Somalia’s sovereignty could carry consequences, including possible restrictions linked to strategic maritime routes.
No official order
Somali officials said Warfa’s comments were a political warning over Somalia’s territorial integrity, not an official declaration of a blockade.
They said some foreign media outlets and social media accounts wrongly presented the remarks as a direct Somali government decision against Israeli ships.
No Somali government body has announced such a policy, and no maritime authority has issued a notice banning Israeli-linked vessels from passing through the Bab al-Mandeb.
The claim also faces a major practical problem. The Bab al-Mandeb Strait separates Yemen from Djibouti and Eritrea, not Somalia. Somalia does not control either side of the chokepoint and has no sovereign authority to restrict passage through it.
Maritime analysts say Somalia also lacks the naval, air and missile capabilities required to impose or enforce a blockade on one of the world’s most sensitive shipping routes.
Somaliland dispute
The rumours come amid rising diplomatic tensions after Israel became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland as an independent state in December 2025, a move Somalia condemned as an unlawful attack on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Israel deepened the dispute this month by appointing Michael Lotem as its first non-resident ambassador to Somaliland. Somalia’s foreign ministry denounced the appointment as a direct breach of Somalia’s sovereignty and unity.
Somaliland, a breakaway region in northern Somalia, has governed itself for more than three decades but has not received broad international recognition.
Mogadishu insists that the region remains part of the Federal Republic of Somalia and says any foreign recognition of Somaliland violates international law and the African Union’s principles on colonial-era borders.
Somalia has received support from several Arab, African, and Muslim-majority states, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, and Djibouti, which have reaffirmed their backing for Somalia’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.
The diplomatic dispute has unfolded amid intensifying regional competition over the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Horn of Africa.
Somalia has sought to strengthen its alliances with key partners while resisting efforts by foreign powers to deal directly with Somaliland.
Piracy incident
Separately, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said two small armed boats approached a cargo vessel about 83 nautical miles southeast of Eyl, Somalia.
One craft came within 600 metres of the vessel, prompting warning shots from the crew. The suspicious craft returned fire before moving away. Officials said all crew were safe and accounted for.
Somali officials and maritime observers said the incident should not be linked to the diplomatic row over Somaliland or to the false reports about Bab al-Mandeb.
They said the incident appeared to fit a piracy-related pattern that has existed off Somalia’s coast for years, rather than reflecting any new state-backed maritime action connected to the current regional crisis.
Piracy off Somalia declined sharply after years of international naval patrols, armed guards on commercial vessels, and onshore security improvements.
But suspected pirate activity has periodically resurfaced, particularly in waters off Puntland regions and central Somalia.
Strategic chokepoint
The Bab al-Mandeb remains one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints, linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Disruption there affects traffic moving between Asia, Europe and the Middle East, including oil, gas and container shipments.
The route has already faced major pressure from Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, forcing many vessels to avoid the corridor and sail around southern Africa instead.
Any suggestion of a new restriction in the area risks further alarming shipping companies, insurers and regional governments already dealing with months of Red Sea instability.
But Mogadishu officials said the priority remains defending Somalia’s territorial integrity through diplomatic and legal channels, not opening a maritime confrontation it neither announced nor has the means to enforce.
