Africa03 October, 20262 min read
Somalia Rejects Israeli Naval Base Plans For Berbera, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud Says
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Somalia rejects Israeli naval base plans for Berbera and military presence. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud states no acceptance under any circumstances and will resist.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Somalia rejects Israeli base
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told Al Jazeera that Somalia “will not accept Israeli presence in the country “under any circumstances”,” and he said his government would resist attempts to be pulled into “Middle East’s crises.” Mohamud said Israel was planning to establish a naval base in Berbera and to use the city’s airport, and he described the aim as getting closer to the Gulf states and Iran.
Mohamud said Berbera is a port city on the Gulf of Aden coast in Somaliland, which he said is claimed by Mogadishu, and he said the city faces Yemen across the water near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait. Mohamud also said Israel was a “destabilising force” that does not abide by international law, and he criticised Tel Aviv’s recognition of Somaliland in December.
Red Sea tensions and al-Shabab
Mohamud accused Yemen’s Houthis of “destabilising the region” and disrupting navigation in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, and he linked the remarks to the group’s offensive that captured Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month. Mohamud said the United States remains Somalia’s strongest partner in the fight against “terrorism,” and he added that al-Shabab has no presence in the major cities.
Mohamud said there is “no possibility of its return to controlling all of Somalia,” and he framed the claim as part of Somalia’s counter-terrorism posture. Mohamud said Somalia’s relations with neighbouring Ethiopia are good, and he said Mogadishu does not object to Addis Ababa gaining access to the sea through a joint agreement to use Somali ports for its economic interests.
Ethiopia sea access and summit
Anadolu Ajansı reported that President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud said, “We will not accept under any circumstances the presence of Israel on our lands,” and he reiterated that Israel’s plan is to establish a naval base in Berbera and use the city’s airport. Anadolu Ajansı said Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud affirmed that the people of Somaliland themselves “oppose Israeli presence completely,” and it said protests erupted earlier in several parts of Somalia and in the secessionist region.
Anadolu Ajansı said Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud will participate in a four-way summit in Al-Alamein, northern Egypt, on Sunday, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, and Sudan's Sovereign Council President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Anadolu Ajansı said the summit will discuss regional issues after Ethiopia’s diplomatic decisions to cut ties with Eritrea and expel an Egyptian diplomat, with reciprocal moves by the two countries.