Somalia Accuses Israel of Covert Plan to Relocate Palestinians to Somaliland

Somali officials warn alleged resettlement scheme would violate international law and undermine national sovereignty, as Somaliland denies any agreement.

By: Haitian Prime News|January 13, 2026|Mogadishu, Somalia

Somalia’s Defence Minister, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, has accused Israel of pursuing a covert plan to forcibly relocate Palestinians to Somaliland, the self-declared separatist region in northern Somalia.

In a public denunciation released Saturday, Fiqi described the alleged initiative as a “serious breach” of international law and a direct infringement on Somalia’s sovereignty. He stated that Somali authorities possess what he called “verified intelligence” indicating Israel intends to move Palestinians to Somaliland following Israel’s reported decision in December to formally recognize Somaliland’s independence.

According to Fiqi, such recognition—if confirmed—would mark the first time any country has formally acknowledged Somaliland as an independent state. He argued that the move forms part of a broader geopolitical strategy aimed at fragmenting regional stability while allowing Israel to secure a strategic foothold near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical maritime corridor linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Somali officials believe this positioning could be used to counter regional adversaries, including Yemen’s Houthi movement.

The allegations have intensified political tensions between Mogadishu and Hargeisa. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has previously claimed that Somaliland consented to receive Palestinian refugees and permit the establishment of an Israeli military base in exchange for international recognition. Authorities in Somaliland have firmly rejected those assertions.

Somaliland’s ruling party has denied the existence of any resettlement agreement involving Palestinians, while defending its developing relationship with Israel as a pragmatic step toward ending decades of diplomatic isolation and achieving international recognition.

Israeli officials and Palestinian representatives have not publicly confirmed the allegations. No independent evidence has been presented to substantiate claims of a planned relocation, and the matter remains the subject of regional and international scrutiny amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.

Sources

Middle East Monitor (MEMO)

Statements from Somalia’s Ministry of Defence