By Mohamed Abdi - Reporter
Somalia, 18 January 2026 Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Saturday rejected any suggestion that Palestinians could be resettled in Somaliland, saying such a move would strip Palestinians of their rights.
Speaking in Las Anod at the inauguration of the newly formed North East State administration, Mohamud said Palestinians had endured decades of conflict without leaving their land and should not be turned into what he described as “stateless people.”
“For 70 years they have been shelled every day, artillery has been fired, yet they have not been displaced,” Mohamud said. “Are we going to make it easy for them to be pushed off their land?”
He referred to the killing of children and civilians and the destruction of homes and cities, which he said now resemble “the Day of Judgment.”
“In the world there are people called stateless people,” he said. “They are alive, they are allowed to eat and drink to survive, but they have no rights, no belonging. We do not agree for the Palestinian people to become stateless people.”
Mohamud stated that Palestinians cannot be relocated in a way that removes their political rights and land ownership, adding that Somalia would never accept such an outcome.
“Killing two birds with one stone is not possible,” Mohamud said. “We reject this.”
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Turning to Somaliland, Mohamud said the land belongs to Somalis and appealed to shared identity and unity.
“This land is Somali land,” he said. “Only Somalis own it and it will always belong to them.”
Addressing Somaliland’s leadership, he urged them to prioritise Somali unity over external alliances.
“We have more for you than Netanyahu and Israel have for you,” Mohamud said. “We love you more than they do. If it is about power and rule, rule us as united Somalis.”
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has not yet received international recognition. Israel recognized Somaliland in late 2025, a move strongly rejected by the Federal Government of Somalia.
The President’s remarks rejecting the resettlement of Palestinians in Somaliland come amid reports suggesting that Israel’s recognition of Somaliland was linked to such a resettlement plan, claims that Somaliland has categorically denied.