MOGADISHU — Somalia’s federal Cabinet has moved to cancel security and defense agreements tied to three strategic ports, a sweeping decision that immediately drew forceful rejection from Puntland State, Jubbaland and North Western State of Somalia and sharpened a long-running power struggle over sovereignty and foreign partnerships.
Ministers meeting in Mogadishu on Monday voted to annul all security and defense agreements and cooperative arrangements related to Berbera, Bosaso and Kismayo. The government said the deals infringed on Somalia’s sovereignty, national unity and political independence, without immediately detailing which agreements were covered or naming specific partners.
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Regional authorities responded within hours, arguing Mogadishu overstepped its constitutional bounds and targeted pacts they say underpin local security and economic development.
Puntland State said the federal government lacks legal authority to interfere in security cooperation tied to the Bosaso port development and a separate program with the United Arab Emirates. Its statement called the UAE cooperation lawful, legitimate and essential to safeguarding the region and advancing trade.
Jubbaland’s presidency said it does not recognize the Cabinet action, calling it a violation of Somalia’s provisional constitution and an encroachment on powers reserved for federal member states. Agreements related to Kismayo fall under Jubbaland’s jurisdiction, it said.
North Western State of Somalia issued the strongest rebuttal. The self-declared republic, which considers itself independent from Somalia, said Berbera lies within an independent territory and that Somalia has “no legal, administrative or security authority” over the port. It said agreements with the UAE were approved by North Western State of Somalia’s constitutional institutions and aim to bolster trade, infrastructure and regional stability.
The federal move followed an investigation by Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Agency into alleged unauthorized use of Somali airspace and territory linked to the recent movements of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, head of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council, a UAE-backed separatist group.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen accused al-Zubaidi of defying instructions to travel to Riyadh for talks and instead mobilizing forces toward Al-Dhale in southwestern Yemen. Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki later alleged that al-Zubaidi fled Aden by sea before leaving the region by air, with Abu Dhabi facilitating his transit through Somali territory. Al-Maliki said the STC leader boarded a flight accompanied by aides “under the supervision of UAE officers.”
The STC has denied the claims, insisting al-Zubaidi remains in Aden. Somali officials have not publicly confirmed whether he transited Somalia, but the Cabinet cited the broader inquiry as context for its decision to void port-linked security and defense arrangements.
The clash lays bare a persistent tension at the heart of Somalia’s federal project: who controls access to strategic infrastructure and foreign security assistance. Ports are economic lifelines and security hubs, and partnerships around them often carry diplomatic weight. The Cabinet move attempts to centralize oversight, while regional administrations argue they have both legal authority and practical necessity to manage local agreements—especially amid threats from militants, smuggling networks and wider regional rivalries.
The standoff risks complicating relations with key Gulf actors and could stall or reroute foreign-backed projects at Berbera, Bosaso and Kismayo. It also threatens to distract from national security priorities at a time when Somalia faces heightened regional pressure and needs coordination across federal and state lines.
- What’s at stake: Control of port security, the terms of foreign engagement and the division of powers under Somalia’s federal system.
- What to watch: Whether Mogadishu issues specific directives to enforce the annulments—and whether regional authorities comply, defy or seek legal remedies.
- Regional implications: Potential diplomatic friction with Gulf partners and a test of how Middle East rivalries intersect with Horn of Africa governance and security.
For now, the federal government’s broad declaration and the swift, public defiance from Puntland State, Jubbaland and North Western State of Somalia signal a deepening impasse—one likely to reverberate from local port operations to Somalia’s regional diplomacy.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
Tuesday January 13, 2026
