Washington — Somaliland is willing to contribute up to 2,000 soldiers to the International Stabilization Force planned for Gaza but is waiting for the US or Israel to ask, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi said on Wednesday.
"If they ask, we can provide," Abdullahi said in an interview on the sidelines of the MEAD conference, stressing that although Somaliland is not volunteering, "if they ask me, I am ready."
Uganda has approved a contingent of some 1,200 troops, while Morocco has committed up to 500. Albania, Kazakhstan and Kosovo have also pledged personnel to the US-led force, which is intended eventually to deploy some 20,000 soldiers in Gaza.
The force's tasks are set to include maintaining security, training Palestinian police, facilitating humanitarian aid and preventing Hamas from reestablishing its military control.
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Somaliland has an army of approximately 25,000 soldiers and a coast guard of some 1,500 personnel, Abdullahi said. It has not previously contributed troops to an African Union force.
In December, Israel became the first state to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state, ending the territory's 35-year struggle without international recognition. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but Mogadishu still considers it part of Somalia.
Somaliland opened an embassy in Jerusalem in June during Abdullahi's first official visit to Israel. This was its first formally designated embassy in the world, though it also opened an embassy-like representative office in Taiwan in 2020.
Abdullahi said Israel's recognition has already significantly raised Somaliland's international profile, even though no other country has yet followed Israel's lead.
"There has been much more attention paid to Somaliland following Israel's recognition," he said. " Now you can find the word 'Somaliland' in every language in the world--in Indian, Arabic and Chinese."
Abdullahi said that for 35 years his country has been asking the whole world to "see us," and now they are paying attention.
The president is expected to meet members of Congress next week, including Sen. Ted Cruz, one of Somaliland's most vocal supporters in Washington. Cruz has called on the US to recognize Somaliland, arguing that it could serve as an important American security and diplomatic partner in the strategically significant Horn of Africa.
Abdullahi said he could not point to any American promise to recognize Somaliland, but added that his government had discussed both recognition and security cooperation with US officials.
"We are optimistic," he said.
Israel's recognition has, however, increased tensions with Somalia and Turkey, one of Mogadishu's closest military, economic and diplomatic partners.
Turkey adamantly opposed Israel's move, arguing that Somaliland remains part of Somalia and that recognizing its independence violates Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the recognition illegitimate and unacceptable and accused Israel of trying to destabilize the Horn of Africa.
Ankara operates a military base in Mogadishu. It also trains Somali troops, has supplied Somalia with armed drones and is exploring for oil and gas off the Somali coast. Following Israel's recognition, Turkey also deployed F-16 fighter jets to Somalia, further expanding its military presence there.
Abdullahi said Turkey's steps showed that Israel's recognition had concrete security consequences for Somaliland.
"There is no free lunch," he said. "Everything has some negative and some positive."
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"We created new enemies," he added, saying countries that had not previously provided Somalia with sophisticated weaponry were now doing so.
Asked whether Somaliland faced a threat of invasion, Abdullahi said Somalia's president and defense minister had publicly spoken about invading the territory. Somaliland has enough manpower to defend itself, he said, but needs more advanced weapons and technology.
"We need protection," he said, adding that Somaliland is seeking assistance from Israel, the US and other allies to "balance the situation."
The president said there is currently no Israeli or American security presence in Somaliland, but he did not rule out such a presence in the future, saying it could create both balance and deterrence.
Asked directly whether he would like an Israeli security presence in Somaliland, Abdullahi said he expected a foreign presence "maybe in the near future."
