Somalia says Israel plans a naval base in Berbera

Somalia's president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said Israel is preparing a naval base in Berbera, a city in Somaliland, the breakaway territory in the north of the country. He made the claim to Al Jazeera in an interview the network released on Oct. 3.

According to Mohamud, Israel also wants to use Berbera's airport, and its real aim would be to get closer to the Gulf states and Iran. He called Israel a "destabilizing force" and placed the plans within the "Greater Israel" project.

We will not accept Israeli presence in the country under any circumstances.

That is how Mohamud summed up Mogadishu's position. For now it is only his accusation: the sources consulted carry no response from the Israeli government or from Somaliland's authorities. Al Jazeera, which is owned by Qatar, will air the full interview on its Arabic channel on Sunday.

Why Berbera

Somaliland declared independence in 1991, and Somalia still considers it part of its territory. Israel recognized it in December 2025, and no other country has. Ethiopia, which is landlocked, signed a memorandum with Somaliland in January 2024 to gain coastal access. Berbera sits on the Gulf of Aden, close to the Bab al Mandeb strait, a route for a large share of maritime trade.

The summit in Egypt

The interview came out a day before the four-leader summit that Alamein, Egypt, hosts this Sunday. Seated there are Mohamud, host Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Eritrea's Isaias Afwerki and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan's Sovereign Council. On Saturday, Al-Sisi met Mohamud and Afwerki separately, according to Daily News Egypt, and reaffirmed Egypt's support for Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The meeting comes amid a crisis with Ethiopia, which accuses those three countries of backing Tigrayan rebels, something they deny. Ethiopia and Eritrea severed relations this week, and Egypt and Ethiopia expelled each other's diplomats. According to The National, a UAE outlet, Egypt contributes some 15 000 troops to the African Union mission in Somalia.

At the time of writing, no communique from the summit had been issued.