Somalia's President Rejects Any Israeli Presence, Cites Alleged Berbera Base Plans
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud tells Al Jazeera Somalia will resist Middle East pull-in; Somaliland denies Berbera naval base claims
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File photo: Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at the Global Gateway Forum in 2023. Photo: Nicolas Landemard / European Union, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Red Sea, Ethiopia and Houthis
Mohamud told Al Jazeera that Somalia's relations with Ethiopia are good and that Mogadishu does not object to Addis Ababa gaining sea access through a joint agreement using Somali ports. Somaliland, by contrast, defended its January 2024 memorandum of understanding with Ethiopia and accused Mogadishu of inconsistency on sea access, Hiiraan Online reported.
The Somali president also accused Yemen's Houthis — an Iran-aligned armed group — of "destabilising the region" and disrupting navigation in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, Al Jazeera reported. He said the United States remains Somalia's strongest partner against "terrorism" and that al-Shabab has no presence in major cities.
The full interview was scheduled for broadcast on Al Jazeera Arabic.
