Somalia-Pakistan Defence Cooperation Puts India on Alert in the Indian Ocean
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A widening defence partnership between Somalia and Pakistan is attracting India’s scrutiny, as New Delhi assesses Islamabad’s growing presence in the Horn of Africa and the western Indian Ocean.
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The latest developments followed a visit to Pakistan this month by Somali Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, who travelled with senior military officials, including the chiefs of Somalia’s navy and air force.
During the trip, Fiqi met the leadership of Pakistan’s army, air force and navy. The two countries agreed to broaden cooperation in military training, counterterrorism, maritime security and efforts to build Somalia’s defence capabilities.
The Somali delegation also toured Pakistani military academies and defence industries, indicating that the relationship could extend beyond conventional training programmes.
India said on Aug. 7 that it was closely following the evolving Somalia-Pakistan relationship, amid wider concerns over changing security patterns across the Middle East, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Gurjit Singh, a former Indian ambassador to Ethiopia, Djibouti and the African Union, has characterised Somalia as a possible new strategic frontier for Pakistan in the region.
Singh has said the expanding partnership between Mogadishu and Islamabad could reach beyond a traditional defence arrangement, with potential consequences for the broader contest for influence around the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.
Somalia’s geography gives the relationship added significance. The country has an extensive coastline along the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, while the Bab el-Mandeb strait — a vital shipping route connecting the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea and Suez Canal — lies just to its north.
Maritime security near Somalia has long been a strategic priority for India. Since 2008, the Indian navy has carried out anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia to help safeguard commercial shipping.
Pakistan, for its part, is a significant military power in the Indian Ocean and has a longstanding rivalry with India in South Asia.
As a result, any deeper military cooperation between Pakistan and Somalia could have wider strategic implications for New Delhi, even if the partnership remains centred mainly on Somalia’s security requirements.
No agreement has been publicly announced granting Pakistan a military base in Somalia, permanent access to a port or authorisation to station combat forces there.
Thus far, the announced cooperation has concentrated on training, counterterrorism, technical support, institutional development and maritime security.
Still, the breadth of the recent meetings points to Islamabad’s interest in building a more comprehensive defence relationship with Mogadishu.
Fiqi met Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff Adm. Naveed Ashraf, with talks covering maritime security and efforts to strengthen Somalia’s navy and coast guard. He also held discussions with Pakistan’s air force leadership on training and assistance for Somalia’s air capabilities.
The Somali delegation visited Pakistan’s National Defence University and Global Industrial & Defence Solutions, a state-owned defence company. Those visits underscored the possible expansion of cooperation into defence technology and equipment.
For Somalia, the partnership comes as the government works to reinforce its armed forces and take on more responsibility for national security during its protracted campaign against Al-Shabaab.
Pakistan can provide military training, counterinsurgency experience and knowledge in air and maritime operations. Islamabad, meanwhile, could secure deeper diplomatic and strategic engagement in a region whose importance is steadily increasing.
The outreach also coincides with Pakistan’s broader effort to expand security partnerships beyond South Asia, including ties with Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Both countries have substantial strategic interests in Somalia and the wider Red Sea region.
There is no sign that Somalia, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are creating a joint military alliance. Pakistan’s expanding engagement with Somalia does, however, place it in a region where two of its partners already maintain established security and strategic interests.
For now, the growing Somalia-Pakistan defence relationship does not represent a new military confrontation with India. Yet the partnership’s widening scope, combined with Somalia’s strategic location, means New Delhi is likely to keep a close watch on Islamabad’s activities in the Horn of Africa and western Indian Ocean.
AXADLETM
