Somaliland’s defence minister has denied reports that Israel is seeking to establish a military base in the territory, saying there is no Israeli military presence there and no negotiations on such a facility.
Mohamed Yusuf Ali made the remarks on Wednesday on the sidelines of a business conference in Tel Aviv, where he told Reuters that Israel was providing training to Somaliland’s military and police forces.
However, he dismissed claims of talks over an Israeli base as “rumours.”
Israel’s ambassador to Somaliland, Michael Lotem, declined to comment on the matter.
Somaliland, located on the Horn of Africa along key Red Sea and Gulf of Aden routes, has operated with de facto independence since 1991, when it broke away from Somalia as the country collapsed into civil war. It has maintained relative stability compared with much of Somalia, though its independence has long gone unrecognised internationally.
Israel formally recognised Somaliland as an independent state in December, becoming the first country to do so. Somalia rejected the move, calling it a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty.
In February, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi told Reuters that his government hoped to develop future military cooperation with Israel, but said the issue of Israeli bases had not been discussed.
The latest denial follows a report by The Somali Guardian on Sunday claiming that Israel had opened an intelligence base in Somaliland and that discussions were underway over a possible Israeli military base.