Somaliland Offers Up to 2,000 Personnel for Proposed Gaza Force

GOOBJOOG NEWS | WASHINGTON: Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi “Cirro” has said his administration is prepared to provide up to 2,000 personnel for an international stabilization force in Gaza if the United States or Israel asks Somaliland to participate.

“If they ask, we can provide,” Cirro said in an interview on the sidelines of the MEAD conference in Washington, stressing that Somaliland was not volunteering but would be ready to contribute if requested.

The remarks come as international efforts continue to develop arrangements for security and stabilization in Gaza following the prolonged conflict between Israel and Hamas. A U.S.-backed ceasefire has reduced the scale of fighting but Israeli military operations and political disputes over the future of Gaza continue.

Cirro is in the United States for his first official visit since taking office, with his delegation seeking closer diplomatic, security and economic ties with Washington. Somaliland’s presidency has said the visit also aims to attract investment and advance its campaign for international recognition.

The Gaza proposal adds a new dimension to Somaliland’s efforts to position itself as a security partner in the wider Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region.

Somaliland has increasingly highlighted its strategic location and security cooperation with international powers. In June, Cirro made his first state visit to Israel, where President Isaac Herzog said the two sides shared concerns over radical extremism, regional stability and maritime security.

The proposal is also likely to attract attention in Somalia, whose federal government rejects Somaliland’s claim to independence and maintains that the territory remains part of Somalia.

Cirro’s comments come as diplomatic efforts over Gaza remain highly contested, with continuing debate over the territory’s future security arrangements, governance and reconstruction.