Somalia’s Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi has accused Israel of harboring a secret plan to forcibly displace Palestinians to the breakaway region of Somaliland.
In a sharp condemnation issued Saturday, Fiqi described the alleged scheme as a “serious violation” of international law and a direct assault on Somalia’s sovereignty.
Okay News reports that the minister claims to possess “confirmed information” that Israel intends to transfer Palestinians to the territory following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s decision in December to officially recognize Somaliland’s independence. Fiqi views this recognition—the first by any nation—as a strategic move to “divide the map of the Middle East” and establish a military foothold near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait to counter regional threats like the Houthis.
While Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has previously alleged that Somaliland agreed to accept Palestinian refugees and host an Israeli base in exchange for recognition, officials in Hargeisa have pushed back.
Somaliland’s governing party denies that a resettlement deal exists, though they have staunchly defended the new alliance with Israel as a “state of necessity” to gain international legitimacy after decades of isolation.
