Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has rejected any Israeli presence in Somalia, saying his government will oppose attempts to involve the country in wider Middle East conflicts.

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Mohamud alleged that Israel was planning to establish a naval base in Berbera and use the city’s airport. He linked the alleged plans to what he called the “Greater Israel” project and said their broader aim was to bring Israel closer to the Gulf states and Iran.

The claims about a naval base and airport access were presented as allegations by the Somali president and were not independently verified in the report. The report did not include an Israeli response.

“We will overcome the challenges posed to our country by Israeli moves,” Mohamud said, according to Al Jazeera. He also described Israel as a “destabilising force” that does not abide by international law.

Dispute over Somaliland

Berbera is a port city on the Gulf of Aden coast in Somaliland, a self-declared republic in northwestern Somalia that Mogadishu claims as part of its territory. The city faces Yemen across the water, near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has governed itself independently for more than three decades. Israel recognised Somaliland last year, a move Mohamud criticised in December. According to the president, Israel is the only country to recognise the territory.

Mohamud said residents of Somaliland were completely opposed to an Israeli presence. Somalia’s position, he added, was that it would not accept such a presence “under any circumstances.”

The dispute has broader regional implications because of Berbera’s location along the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis in Yemen had previously enforced a blockade on Israel-linked ships in the area, while Somali authorities have accused the group of disrupting navigation in the Bab al-Mandeb.

Security and regional relations

Mohamud described the United States as Somalia’s strongest partner in the fight against “terrorism.” He also said al-Shabab no longer had a presence in Somalia’s major cities, arguing that this left the group with no possibility of taking control of the country.

Al-Shabab emerged from the Islamic Courts Union in the mid-2000s and pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2012. The group continues to hold territory in parts of southern and central Somalia and has carried out attacks in Mogadishu and neighbouring Kenya, according to the background provided in the report.

On relations with Ethiopia, Mohamud said ties were good and that Mogadishu did not object to Ethiopia obtaining sea access through a joint agreement to use Somali ports.

Ethiopia has been landlocked since Eritrea became independent in 1993 and relies largely on Djibouti’s ports for trade. In January 2024, Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland on sea access, which Somalia condemned as a violation of its sovereignty. The two countries later agreed to ease tensions.

Mohamud also accused Yemen’s Houthis of destabilising the region and disrupting shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb. Yemeni government forces had held their front-line positions and claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on the Houthis, while the group had intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The full interview was scheduled to be broadcast on Al Jazeera Arabic on Sunday.