Saudi Arabia in Talks With Egypt, Somalia on Military Coalition
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia is finalizing an agreement with Somalia and Egypt on a new military coalition aimed at tightening Red Sea security and curbing the United Arab Emirates’ regional influence, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.
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Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia soon to complete the deal, the people said. The pact under discussion would deepen coordination on maritime security across the Red Sea and expand military cooperation between the three countries.
The move comes as Somalia this week canceled security and ports agreements with the UAE, accusing the Gulf state of violating its sovereignty by extracting a Yemeni separatist leader through Somali territory. Saudi officials have pressed Mogadishu to scale back ties with the UAE, the people said.
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE — both OPEC+ members and longtime partners in regional security — have sharpened in recent months after the kingdom ordered the UAE to withdraw its troops from Yemen as Riyadh seeks to limit its rival’s sway.
Saudi Arabia has vocally backed Somalia’s territorial integrity and its fight against the extremist group al-Shabaab, though it has offered limited material support to date. If concluded, this pact would mark the first time the kingdom has moved to directly bolster Somalia’s security and military capacity, the people said.
A Somali government spokesperson confirmed that a deal is in the works but declined to provide details. Spokespeople for the Saudi government and defense ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The Egyptian government also did not reply to questions about the negotiations.
The UAE has steadily expanded its footprint across Africa, both to diversify its economy and extend its influence. It has invested in ports at Berbera, in the self-declared Republic of North Western State of Somalia, and Bosaso in Puntland State, and has backed military factions seeking power in Libya and Sudan. While reiterating its support for Somalia’s sovereignty, those port deals have been a consistent point of friction with Mogadishu.
Somalia’s rupture with the UAE follows Israel’s decision to become the first country to recognize North Western State of Somalia, giving Israel a partner on a strategic stretch of the Red Sea corridor. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey swiftly condemned the move. Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia rallied members of the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation to denounce the recognition as an “illegal measure.” The OIC issued a communique warning that the step posed “a direct threat to the peace and security of the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region.”
Egypt last year signed a separate agreement with Mogadishu to enhance relations, deepen military cooperation and strengthen Somali state institutions, laying groundwork for the trilateral framework now taking shape.
- What’s at stake: securing the Red Sea shipping lanes, improving joint military coordination and signaling a unified front against moves seen as undermining Somalia’s sovereignty.
- What remains unclear: the scope of material support, command structures and whether the coalition will establish joint operations or training missions inside Somalia.
The proposed coalition underscores the shifting balance within the Gulf and the Horn of Africa, where rival port deals, proxy alignments and maritime chokepoints intersect. If finalized, the pact would widen Saudi Arabia’s security role on the African side of the Red Sea and test how far Egypt and Somalia are willing to align with Riyadh as it redefines its relationship with the UAE.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
