Somaliland has rejected accusations that it agreed to host Israeli military facilities and resettle displaced Palestinians from Gaza in exchange for recognition by Israel.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday dismissed the claims as baseless, saying its engagement with Israel was “purely diplomatic” and conducted “in full respect of international law”.
The denial came in response to allegations by Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who told Al Jazeera that Somaliland had accepted three conditions from Israel: The resettlement of Palestinians, the establishment of a military base on the Gulf of Aden coast, and joining the Abraham Accords to normalise ties with Israel.
Reports began circulating earlier this year that Somaliland was interested in assisting Israel’s widely condemned aim of ethnically cleansing Palestinians, as officials in Hargeisa pushed for recognition.
Somaliland’s foreign minister said no talks had taken place on the issue but stopped short of rejecting the possibility, unlike other countries rumoured to be of interest to Israel.
Only the final condition has been publicly acknowledged.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Tuesday that Somaliland would join the Accords, telling United States media outlet Newsmax he wanted to “support a democratic, moderate country, a Muslim country, that wants to join the Abraham Accords”.
Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland as an independent state last week, ending more than three decades of failed bids by the breakaway region of Somalia.
Somaliland’s President Abdurrahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Cirro, is planning an official visit to Israel in the coming weeks, according to Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster.
Sources told Kan on Wednesday evening that the visit could take place as early as the second week of January, during which Abdullahi would formally join the Abraham Accords.
Netanyahu initially invited Cirro during a video call announcing the mutual recognition.
Somalia’s president warned that Israel’s recognition “was not merely a diplomatic gesture but a cover for specific, high-stakes Israeli strategic objectives”.
He claimed Israel would “export its problem in Gaza” to the Horn of Africa and described the move as opening “a box of evils in the world”.
Israel’s motives for suddenly recognising Somaliland remain unclear, though analysts point to the region’s strategic position at the gateway to the Red Sea, opposite Yemen’s Houthis, who imposed a naval blockade on Israeli-linked shipping before the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza and fired rockets at Israel.
According to a November report by the Institute for National Security Studies, an Israeli think tank, “Somaliland’s territory could serve as a forward base” for intelligence monitoring of the Houthis and “a platform for direct operations” against them.
The Houthis said earlier this week that any Israeli presence would be a target, a statement Somaliland’s former intelligence chief, Mostafa Hasan, said amounted to a declaration of war.
Somaliland’s foreign minister appeared to downplay regional concerns on Wednesday, telling Israel’s i24NEWS that while some countries “feel Israel establishing a relationship will cause their downfall”, such fears were unfounded.
The recognition has triggered widespread anger across Somalia, with tens of thousands taking to the streets on December 30 in Mogadishu, Baidoa, Dhusamareb, Las Anod and other cities, waving Somali flags and demanding unity.
More than 50 countries condemned Israel’s move, while the African Union and the European Union said Somalia’s territorial integrity should be respected.
Despite the backlash, Somaliland’s president expressed confidence on New Year’s Eve that “many more nations will soon formally recognise the Republic of Somaliland.”
The region declared independence from Somalia in 1991 during a civil war but has never secured international recognition, despite maintaining its own government, currency and military.
Somalia continues to claim Somaliland as part of its territory. – Al Jazeera.
