Somalia President warns Israel preparing to displace Palestinians to breakaway Somaliland

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has hit out at Israel in an interview with Al-Jazeera, saying its activities in the region were ill-intentioned, while warning that it is preparing to execute its plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza after the genocidal war there.

"Israel will resort to forcibly displacing Palestinians to Somalia, and its presence in the region is not for peace," he said in an interview with on Tuesday.

The comments come after Israel last week became the first, and only, country to formally recognise Somaliland, a breakaway state in the north of Somalia which has been de facto self-governing since 1991.

Mohamud added that it was "unexpected and strange" that Israel had made such a decision, noting that Somaliland has for over three decades been pushing to be recognised, without any other country accepting this.

"For us, we’ve been trying to reunite the country in a peaceful manner," he continued.

He further said that Somali intelligence revealed that Somaliland accepted three conditions set by Israel in exchange for the recognition, which include the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza, the establishment of an Israeli military base on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, and Somaliland joining the Abraham Accords.

Somaliland has said that it is looking to join the Abraham Accords but has not commented on the displacement of Palestinians to its territory.

Israel has however been actively looking for ways to displace Palestinians from Gaza to other countries, in violation of international law. Mysterious flights carrying people from the devastated territory landed last month in South Africa, which has since said it would refuse to accept any more.

Mohamud said that Somali intelligence found that Israel already has a certain level of presence in Somaliland, with the recognition just being a formality for relations that have been established quietly  for a while.

The Somali president added that Israel vying for control of strategic waterways which connect vital commercial routes, including the Red Sea, the Gulf and the Gulf of Aden.

The ceasefire plan agreed in October, which was brokered by US President Donald Trump, stipulated that "no one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return".

Palestinians have long raised concerns that Israel is not abiding by the terms of the truce, and is seeking to permanently push the population out.

Israel has killed over 400 people in the territory in attacks since the ceasefire went into effect, and has recently stopped major charities from operating in Gaza as its displaced population faces deadly cold, hunger, and disease.

In September, a US plan titled "Gaza Riviera" was leaked. It suggested the "temporary relocation of all of Gaza’s more than 2 million population" – and was slammed internationally as a blueprint for ethnic cleansing.

US President Donald Trump has also previously expressed ambitions to "clean out" and "redevelop" Gaza.

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland has been criticised and condemned around the world, including by the EU, the African Union, and the Arab League.

On Tuesday, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also condemned Israel’s decision, calling it "illegitimate and unacceptable".

In a press conference with Mohamud in Ankara, Erdogan said the recognition could destabilise the Horn of Africa.

"The Netanyahu government has the blood of 71,000 of our Palestinian brothers and sisters on its hands. Now it is trying to destabilise the Horn of Africa as well, after its attacks on Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Qatar and Syria," he said.