DOHA (SD) – The President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whose term ends in a few months, has strongly asserted that Somalia will defend itself if an attempt is made to establish an Israeli military base in Somaliland, and misrepresented the reason behind Israel’s official recognition of Somaliland.

Speaking to Al Jazeera and participating in the Al Jazeera Forum in Doha on Saturday, Hassan Sheikh stated that a military base would not provide Israel with any defensive benefit, but rather that it intends to use it for its foreign wars.

“A base is not a tourist site. It is a military facility, and military means either attack or defence,” said the President. “There is no place in Somalia that Israel needs to defend.”

The President stated that no Israeli security forces have been seen in Somalia so far, and he does not expect them to arrive in the near future, but he firmly emphasized that if that happens, Somalia will prevent it.

When asked what Somalia will do if Israel establishes a base, President Hassan Sheikh responded: “We will fight in our capacity. Of course, we will defend ourselves,” he said. “And that means that we will confront any Israeli forces coming in, because we are against that and we will never allow that.”

So far, there is no official confirmation that Israel is planning to establish a military base in Somalia, nor has Israel commented on the President’s statements.

The Horn of Africa region has, in recent years, attracted the interests of global powers due to its strategic importance for international trade routes, particularly the Red Sea. Somalia has granted military facilities to several countries, including Turkey and Egypt, which can be used for conflicts in the Horn of Africa.

The statement falls short in directly countering the momentum Somaliland got from international forums (like the Dubai summit) and from sympathetic foreign voices in the U.S. Senate (like Senators Risch and Cruz ).

The President’s remarks come despite Somalia having granted military base rights to other foreign powers like Turkey and Egypt. This highlights a selective sovereignty, as most Somalis do not agree with their presence.

The effectiveness of this rhetoric depends on whether regional powers (like Egypt, Turkey, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia) and international actors (like the US) buy into this framing and see engagement with Somaliland as potentially triggering a new conflict, rather than as a pragmatic solution to the challenges of dealing with a dysfunctional central government in Mogadishu. It escalates the diplomatic war over Somaliland to a new level.