Deni Faces Questions Over Security Alignment with Israel

An investigation into the foreign relationships of Puntland and Somaliland examines whether their security cooperation forms part of a wider regional alignment involving Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

The investigation centers on Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Cirro. It questions whether cooperation publicly described as covering security and trade extends to broader military and political arrangements with foreign partners.

A central element is an agreement signed in Nairobi on October 25, 2023. The investigation presents that meeting as a foundation for coordination between the two regional administrations.

The investigation also examines a security presentation attributed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. The presentation placed Puntland and Somaliland within a regional grouping favorable to Israel.

Puntland’s August 2 announcement concerning a proposed base expansion arrangement with United States Africa Command adds another dimension to the investigation. The US command rejected the claim. The investigation also notes the absence of a corresponding announcement from American authorities and raises questions about which facility the arrangement concerned.

The UAE emerges as a recurring connection in the investigation, particularly through its relationships with regional administrations and its involvement in strategic ports. The investigation considers whether those relationships connect otherwise separate political and security developments.

It also examines a Puntland communication to the United Nations concerning demands for secession. Elders and intellectuals rejected the suggestion that those demands reflected the position of the wider population.

That disagreement matters because advocacy by a political group does not necessarily establish either an official secession policy or broad public support.

The investigation’s most serious allegation concerns the movement of weapons and supplies to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces. The supplied material attributes to a September United Nations investigation the finding that Berbera and Bosaso served as transit routes for those shipments.

Taken together, the issues concern foreign military access, maritime infrastructure, political cooperation, and alleged support for an armed group. The central question is whether evidence connects those activities to a coordinated regional strategy. This raises questions about the nature of the alliance linking Deni, Cirro, Israel, and the RSF.