Somalia is urging a formal security alliance with Saudi Arabia and Egypt to counter Red Sea threats, militant violence and foreign interference, while condemning Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.
Saudi Arabia is expanding its rivalry with the UAE from Yemen into the Red Sea and Horn of Africa, as Somalia cancels Emirati port and security deals in a wider regional recalibration.
Ambassadors from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Sudan left Mogadishu on 17 January 2026 to attend the Northeast Somalia President’s inauguration, underscoring rising foreign support for Somalia’s federal state-building.
Somaliland President Abdirahman Cirro says Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey ignored identical appeals that drew a response from Israel, and warns any Somali military move against Somaliland would fail.