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Somalia has signed a \u201cmilitary cooperation\u201d agreement with Saudi Arabia, weeks after inking a similar deal with Qatar, as Mogadishu seeks regional support against Israel\u2019s recognition<\/span> of the breakaway region of Somaliland<\/span>.<\/p>\n The memorandum of understanding was signed on Monday between Somali Minister of Defence Ahmed Moallim Fiqi and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, in Riyadh.<\/p>\n The agreement \u201caims to strengthen the frameworks of defense and military cooperation between the two countries, and includes multiple areas of common interest, serving the strategic interests of both parties\u201d, Somalia\u2019s Ministry of Defence said.<\/p>\n Prince Khalid confirmed the agreement in a post on X.<\/p>\n But neither country provided further details.<\/p>\n Last month, Somalia signed a defence pact with Qatar, aimed at \u201cstrengthening military ties and security collaboration\u201d, according to the Somali state news agency.<\/p>\n The pact with Qatar \u201cfocuses on military training, the exchange of expertise, the development of defence capabilities, and enhanced security cooperation, in support of efforts to promote regional security and stability\u201d, it said.<\/p>\n Doha said the agreement was \u201caimed at strengthening areas of joint cooperation in a way that serves mutual interests and enhances defense partnerships\u201d.<\/p>\n The diplomatic offensive by Somalia comes amid growing tensions in the Horn of Africa region following Israel\u2019s world-first recognition of Somaliland in December. Mogadishu has warned that Israel plans to set up a military base<\/span> in the breakaway region, which could be used to launch attacks on neighbouring countries.<\/p>\n Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told Al Jazeera<\/span> last week that Mogadishu \u201cwill never allow\u201d the establishment of an Israeli base in Somaliland and will \u201cconfront\u201d any such move.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will fight in our capacity. Of course, we will defend ourselves,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that means that we will confront any Israeli forces coming in, because we are against that and we will never allow that.\u201d<\/p>\n A Somaliland official told Israel\u2019s Channel 12 in January that an Israeli military base is \u201con the table\u201d, though terms were still being negotiated.<\/p>\n Separately, Somalia also cancelled all agreements<\/span> with the United Arab Emirates last month \u2013 including port operations, security and defence deals \u2013 citing \u201charmful actions\u201d that undermine its \u201cnational unity and political independence\u201d.<\/p>\n The move came amid reports that the UAE had facilitated Israel\u2019s recognition of Somaliland\u2019s independence.<\/p>\n The Gulf state, which normalised ties with Israel in 2020 under the Abraham Accords, has cultivated deep economic and security ties with Somaliland. These include a 30-year concession at the strategic Berbera port held by the UAE company DP World.<\/p>\n The UAE declined to sign a joint Arab-Islamic statement condemning Israel\u2019s recognition of Somaliland, but it released a joint statement with the African Union in January pledging \u201csupport for Somalia\u2019s sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and stability\u201d.<\/p>\n Somalia\u2019s break with the UAE coincided with a deterioration in Saudi Arabian-Emirati relations.<\/p>\n Tensions erupted in December when Saudi forces bombed what Riyadh described as a UAE weapons shipment to the separatist Southern Transitional Council in Yemen. Saudi Arabia also backed a call by Yemen\u2019s internationally recognised government for Emirati forces in the country to withdraw.<\/p>\n The UAE denied the allegations.<\/p>\n Separately, Abu Dhabi has also been accused of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, which has been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces for nearly three years.<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia, an ally of Khartoum, condemned the RSF on Saturday over attacks in Sudan\u2019s Kordofan region, which have killed dozens of people, including women and children.<\/p>\n Riyadh also denounced \u201cforeign interference\u201d<\/span> by unspecified parties in Sudan, saying the \u201ccontinued influx of illegal weapons, mercenaries and foreign fighters\u201d was prolonging the continuation of the nearly three-year-old war.<\/p>\n It did not name the parties.<\/p>\n Sudan, meanwhile, filed a case against the UAE at the International Court of Justice last year, accusing it of \u201ccomplicity in genocide<\/span>\u201d allegedly committed by the RSF against the Masalit community in West Darfur state.<\/p>\n The UAE slammed the move as \u201cnothing more than a cynical publicity stunt\u201d and said it would seek the \u201cimmediate dismissal\u201d of the case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n