Former Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi has called on the Somaliland government to publicly disclose its agreement with Israel, while also warning the Egyptian and Turkish governments that strongly oppose the recognition of Somaliland.
Bihi said that the agreement between Somaliland and Israel needs to be fair and protect the interests of both parties, warning against any that benefits one party or harms another.
“The government has not yet disclosed, nor has it presented to the public what we agreed with Israel – whether it is a treaty, an understanding or a written legal agreement – and this is expected. If it is not an equal agreement that does not harm anyone’s religion, and does not harm Islam, then it will be discussed,” Bihi said.
Bihi, during his tenure, never presented the Somaliland people with the full details of the agreement his government signed with the Ethiopian government at the beginning of 2024, despite opposition parties always requesting that the details of the agreement be presented.
Meanwhile, Bihi described it as regrettable that Egypt and Turkey are united in opposing the recognition of Somaliland, despite their historical differences on many issues. He said that Egypt was one of the first countries to enter into an agreement with Israel, and that former Egyptian President Anwar Al Sadad was the first Muslim president to visit Israel.
Bihi added that Egypt has never done anything significant for Somalia, and that it is interested in ensuring that Ethiopia and Somalia are always in tension in order to protect its interests related to the Nile River. He also said that the deployment of Egyptian and Turkish troops to Somalia will not bring a lasting solution.
“The conflict that is being created is based on a single point – the recognition that Israel has given to Somaliland,” he said.
He also said that the argument coming from Somali leaders about bringing Palestinians to Somaliland is baseless, and that the Somaliland government has previously denied this.
He also spoke about the reports that Israel came to Somaliland to attack Yemen or Iran, describing it as “market news,” and that it is not possible, as the Somaliland constitution clearly contradicts this.
Finally, Muse Bihi Abdi called on the African Union, calling on it to respect Somaliland’s borders, which he said are in line with the African Union’s charter that states that the borders inherited from colonialism must be respected.
