Guban View: Somaliland’s Israel Gambit Deserves Debate, Not Dismissal
The debate over Israel exposes old patterns of hypocrisy, deflection, and unaccountable leadership
On June 26, the sixty-sixth anniversary of Somaliland’s independence, former President Muse Bihi Abdi took to Facebook to raise concerns about Somaliland’s emerging relationship with Israel, citing the rapidly changing political landscape in the Middle East. Mohamud Hashi Abdi, leader of the Kaah party and a former senior official in the Kulmiye administration, echoed similar objections, framing his opposition partly in religious terms tied to establishing a Somaliland embassy in Jerusalem.
Reasonable people can disagree on a foreign policy question this consequential. But disagreement should never be mistaken for disloyalty. President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi “Cirro” responded in a manner many found combative and dismissive. That was a mistake: constructive criticism from former leaders should be met with arguments and evidence, not hostility.
Statesmanship requires confidence in one’s policies, paired with a genuine willingness to listen to rivals. Reacting emotionally to legitimate concerns risks undermining the democratic culture that has long set Somaliland apart from its neighbors. National leaders—past and present—carry a responsibility to encourage informed public debate rather than suppress differing viewpoints. Engagement with Israel carries real security, economic, and strategic implications, and deserves serious discussion, not slogans from either side.
To be clear, Gubanmedia maintains serious reservations about how President Cirro came to power. Even so, we support his decision to pursue engagement with Israel during one of the most difficult periods in Somaliland’s modern history—a strategically significant move rooted in national interest, not a reckless gamble. Foreign policy should be guided by that interest, not ideological reflex; Somaliland cannot afford to isolate itself, nor let external powers and regional rivalries dictate its options.
It is worth putting this criticism in context. During its fifteen years in power, Kulmiye party failed to formulate a coherent foreign policy that meaningfully advanced Somaliland’s international standing, spending years pursuing Turkish-mediated talks with Somalia that, in the view of many Somalilanders, yielded little progress while raising uncomfortable questions about sovereignty. Kulmiye governments also missed opportunities to diversify Somaliland’s diplomatic relationships, and critics contend narrow political and business interests too often shaped their decisions.
To its credit, the Bihi administration did achieve one genuine breakthrough: establishing relations with Taiwan despite fierce opposition from China. That makes today’s criticism of Israel engagement all the more striking, since Bihi had ample opportunity to pursue closer ties with Israel and chose not to. More pointedly, that same administration signed a memorandum of understanding with Ethiopia that would have granted a nation of more than 130 million people access to Somaliland’s coastline—an agreement many Somalilanders viewed as carrying substantial risk to sovereignty. Set against that record, criticizing engagement with Israel now looks inconsistent at best.
Rather than allowing this diplomatic opening time to produce results, Mohamud Hashi has chosen to frame the issue largely through a religious lens, apparently to court support from the Ictisam extremist group—risking a premature narrowing of an important policy debate and handing ammunition to those who oppose Somaliland’s broader diplomatic aspirations. Beyond the domestic polarization such rhetoric may also open the door for outside actors, including Qatar and Turkey, to exploit divisions and deepen clan tensions.
With respect, Mr. Hashi also faces a credibility problem of his own. He now presents himself as a champion of good governance, yet his public record remains clouded by longstanding allegations of corruption, patronage, and abuse of office. As a senior figure in the Silanyo administration and later Minister of Civil Aviation, he faced allegations tied to aviation revenues, the Kuwait-funded expansion of Hargeisa Airport, and policies critics say contributed to Somalia’s assumption of control over Somaliland’s airspace and airport operations, including fees imposed on passengers. These allegations have persisted for years and, where credible evidence exists, deserve independent investigation.
Anyone seeking the presidency while claiming the moral high ground should expect rigorous scrutiny of his own record. Accountability is not persecution; it is the price of public leadership. Rather than second-guessing President Cirro’s decision on Israel, Mohamud Hashi might do better to focus on stabilizing his own district, El-Afweyn, where recurring violence has persisted for years and where local politicians and clan elders—including Bur-Madow—have been accused of exploiting communal conflict for political and financial gain.
Somaliland cannot afford a political culture in which corruption allegations are ignored because politicians hide behind clan protection. The rule of law, equal justice, and accountability must prevail over factional interests and personal ambition. Preserving the democratic achievements that have distinguished Somaliland for more than three decades requires all political actors to place national interest above individual and sub-clan ambitions, and to conduct the Israel debate with seriousness, discipline, and civility.
Somaliland’s future should not be held hostage by political score-settling, nor shaped only by a political class that has, at times, grown enriched through proximity to state resources while resisting reform. What the country requires is institutional renewal, strategic clarity, and a stronger commitment to accountable governance capable of delivering real improvements in citizens’ lives.
Somaliland deserves better.
Ali-Guban Mohamed
Founder and Editor Gubanmedia.com
