The United States and Israel are looking for options in Africa for the resettlement of Palestinians displaced from Gaza
US President Donald Trump's plan to transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to neighbouring countries has unleashed a wave of reactions in the international community in a context of growing tensions, with the latent threat of the resumption of Israeli military operations in Gaza in the absence of progress in the ceasefire with Hamas.
Recently, Trump seemed to backtrack on this plan by assuring that ‘nobody is expelling any Palestinians from the Gaza Strip’, a statement that was well received by Hamas and Egypt. However, according to reports from the Associated Press based on US and Israeli officials, Washington and Jerusalem have contacted three East African governments to propose the use of their territories as possible destinations for the resettlement of Palestinians displaced from Gaza.
Among these nations are Sudan, Somalia and the internationally unrecognised region of Somaliland. While Chad flatly rejected any proposal, officials from Somalia and Somaliland claimed to have no knowledge of such talks. In Libya, the Government of National Unity in Tripoli categorically denied reports suggesting its willingness to receive Palestinian refugees.
The case of Somaliland was particularly delicate, given that the United States had reportedly offered to hold talks on international recognition of the territory in exchange for collaboration in hosting Palestinians.
On the other hand, Sudan, despite having normalised relations with Israel in 2020 through the Abraham Accords, is facing a civil war that complicates any compromise. Two Sudanese officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to AP that the Trump administration had approached the military government to discuss the issue.
One of them said that contacts began even before Trump's inauguration with offers of military assistance against the RSF, aid for post-war reconstruction and other incentives. However, both officials said the Sudanese government rejected the idea ‘out of hand’.
In this regard, it should be noted that the 38th Ordinary Summit of the African Union, held in Addis Ababa, strongly condemned Israeli military operations in Gaza and rejected the displacement plans, describing them as a violation of international law.
In response to Trump's plan, Egypt designed an Arab proposal for the reconstruction of Gaza without displacing its population, with the Palestinian Authority once again assuming the government of the enclave. This plan received broad international support, with countries such as Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy backing the reconstruction and stability efforts.
On the other hand, Israel and the United States rejected the Egyptian initiative, considering it contrary to their strategic interests in the region. For its part, the UN urged the international community to support the Arab plan, emphasising the need for dialogue and negotiation to achieve a lasting and just solution.
