Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud reaffirmed his country's rejection of the establishment of an Israeli naval base in the city of Berbera or the use of its airport for military purposes, saying Mogadishu would uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity and oppose these moves through diplomatic and international legal means.
The president linked the Israeli move to the region's location overlooking the Gulf of Aden and its proximity to the Gulf states and Iran, rather than to any threat originating from Somalia. Sheikh Mohamud said in a televised interview conducted by Ali Al-Dhafiri that his country rejects attempts to bring Middle Eastern conflicts to the Horn of Africa and intends to protect its shores, national interests and territorial integrity.
Details of the proposed agreement in Berbera
He described Israel's unilateral recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland as “the destabilising endeavour”, stressing that the federal government accepts no arrangements that bypass its sovereignty. The Somali president said the agreement concluded with the authorities of the breakaway region includes, according to his account, the establishment of an Israeli naval base in Berbera and its strategic port on the Gulf of Aden.
He added that preliminary work and a site assessment had begun, alongside an attempt to use Berbera's large airport and convert it into an operations complex serving the Israeli air force and navy. He noted that Mogadishu was the party that built Berbera airport, and that it had previously been used by the Soviets and Americans.
He said Israel was seeking, through its positioning in the region, to move closer directly to the Gulf states and Iran and facilitate its operations as part of what he called its “larger agenda”, citing the recent confrontation with Iran as having demonstrated the difficulty and high cost of carrying out long-range air strikes from within Israel. According to Sheikh Mohamud, Tel Aviv is currently prioritising maritime, military and security aspects to consolidate its presence in the region.
He said this followed earlier ideas and plans to relocate between 2 million and 3 million Palestinians to the region. He stressed that Mogadishu would not accept an Israeli presence under any circumstances, asserting that local residents in Somaliland reject these plans and that Israel would ultimately be forced to withdraw.
The strategic location of Somaliland
The region is viewed as a gateway to Bab el-Mandeb, one of the main maritime routes leading to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, and therefore overlooks one of the world's busiest trade routes. It is also home to the port of Berbera, which serves as the region's economic lifeline and is described as the largest port on the Gulf of Aden and one of the main import ports on which Ethiopia relies.
Disrupted shipping puts pressure on the Somali economy
In the context of maritime route security, the Somali president said the disruption to shipping had caused fuel shortages and increased freight and transport costs, as well as declining port revenues and import and export activity. He said the damage had particularly affected Somali livestock and agricultural exports bound for the Saudi market, placing a direct burden of the crisis on his country's economy.
Sheikh Mohamud accused the Houthis of acting aggressively and outside the framework of international law and of seeking to destabilise the region. He added that Somalia was suffering the direct economic consequences of the escalation but could not participate in foreign military operations because it was occupied with domestic issues, stressing that his country would focus on protecting its sovereignty and interests through diplomatic and legal channels.
Mogadishu cancels security agreements with the UAE
Regarding relations with the UAE, the Somali president described their course as “the sad story” and said Mogadishu had cancelled all security and defence agreements concluded with Abu Dhabi. He attributed the decision to what he viewed as Emirati alignment with Somaliland, encouragement of separatist efforts and a deepening of the internal divide, rather than support for the united federal state.
Sheikh Mohamud said he had visited the UAE more than 7 times during his first presidential term in an effort to build strong relations and had repeatedly sought to resolve disagreements between the two countries. At the same time, he affirmed that embassies and core diplomatic relations remained in place, alongside continuing efforts to repair relations on the basis of respect for the sovereignty of the Somali state.
On regional balances, Sheikh Mohamud said Somalia pursued an independent foreign policy based on its national interests. He said current relations with Ethiopia were good and stable despite the two countries' long history of conflict, which, in his words, stretched back 700 years, stressing that Mogadishu had no objection to providing Ethiopia with commercial access through one or more Somali ports for import and export purposes.
He stressed that any such arrangements must be made in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and without compromising Somalia's sovereignty. By contrast, he praised the defence and historic partnership with Egypt, whose forces recently joined the African Union mission, stressing that his country kept out of the direct disputes between Cairo and Addis Ababa.
The Somali president also described the relationship with Türkiye as a strategic partnership, recalling Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Somalia in 2011, when he was prime minister, accompanied by his family and government at the height of the famine and what he described as an undeclared blockade. He said the visit restored the world's attention to Somalia after a period of decline.
Sheikh Mohamud discussed Turkish investments in ports and airports and in the oil and gas sectors, as well as a project to establish Africa's first satellite launch base, or spaceport. He dismissed what he described as rumours of a Turkish combat military base in Somalia, stressing that the existing facility was a centre dedicated to training Somali forces.
Economically, the president praised the partnership with Saudi Arabia, describing it as the main market for Somalia's livestock and agricultural exports. He said his country benefited from the trilateral agreement between Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad, known as the “Mecca Agreement”, and sought to establish joint platforms with the three countries to support Somalia and meet its development and economic needs.
On domestic security, Sheikh Mohamud said Somalia had assumed direct strategic leadership of the war against al-Shabaab by opening new fronts that had weakened the group and confined it to rural areas. He denied that the group ran a “parallel state”, saying it relied on fear-based extortion without providing services to the population.
Politically, the Somali president announced the completion of the review of the provisional constitution after 12 years and the setting of the presidential term at 5 years. He also confirmed a transition to direct voting based on “one person, one vote” for the first time in 57 years, that is, since 1969, as part of changes covering the electoral process and party system.
He added that Somalia had adopted election and political party laws and established 7 federal state entities covering the country. He affirmed the protection of the freedom to express dissent and the appearance of opposition figures in the media, saying the country had no political detainees at all, as part of his account of the political and institutional developments the state had undergone.
