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Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi said Saturday that Mogadishu has information indicating that Israel is planning to forcibly relocate Palestinians to the region known as "Somaliland," describing the move as a grave violation of international law and Somalia's sovereignty.
Fiqi, in remarks to Al Jazeera Mubasher, called on the Israeli government to withdraw its recognition of what he described as the "separatist region," stressing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no legal or legitimate right to confer legitimacy on an entity within a sovereign state.
The minister said the Israeli move amounts to a direct assault on Somalia's territorial integrity, adding that Israel is exploiting separatist leaders, even though around half of the areas formerly known as "Somaliland" have, over the past two years, announced their decision to join the Federal Republic of Somalia.
Fiqi also said Israel is seeking to establish a military base in the region because of its strategic location near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the Arabian Sea, warning that the aim is to destabilize the area and divide states.
He said Somalia would pursue all diplomatic and legal avenues to reject what he described as an Israeli violation, adding that the African Union is aware of the seriousness of this precedent for the continent's stability.
The minister praised the positions of several Arab and regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye, along with the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council, for supporting Somalia's unity.
He also welcomed the stance of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration in not recognizing the so-called "Somaliland" region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced that Israel recognizes the Somaliland region as an “independent and sovereign state.”
With this decision, Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland.
Somaliland declared unilaterally in 1991 that it had separated from Somalia, but it has not been recognized as an independent state by the international community.
Somalia, however, considers Somaliland an integral part of the country and stresses that any international agreements concerning the region fall solely under the authority of the Mogadishu government.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Israel planned to deport Palestinians from Gaza to Somaliland and establish a military base there.
In response to Mohamud’s remarks, the Somaliland Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued a written statement rejecting the claims and asserting that Israel would not establish a military base in the region.
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