Somalia reportedly blocks UAE military aircraft after Al-Zubaidi transit

Somalia bans UAE military and cargo aircraft from its airspace amid escalating rift

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia has barred military and cargo aircraft owned or leased by the United Arab Emirates from entering its airspace, according to media reports citing Somali security officials, in a sharp escalation that underscores deteriorating ties between Mogadishu and Abu Dhabi.

The reported decision, which sources said took effect Jan. 8, follows suspicions that the UAE transported Aidarus al-Zubaidi, head of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council, through Somali territory without prior notification or approval from Somali security authorities. The sources said Abu Dhabi sought a grace period to defuse the crisis, but the Somali government pressed ahead with the ban.

Somali officials cited by local media said one of six Emirati military and cargo aircraft that had landed at Somali airports defied the restriction twice, on Friday and Saturday, prompting Mogadishu to warn of further measures. Other reports indicated Somali authorities approved a limited number of exception flights — including six evacuation flights from Bosaso Airport and four from Mogadishu — to facilitate the withdrawal of Emirati forces and equipment.

Somali sources emphasized that the restriction does not apply to civilian carriers, including flydubai.

Diplomatic and security sources described the airspace ban as the most consequential step in bilateral relations since Somalia and the UAE launched security cooperation years ago, signaling an unprecedented level of strain and a gradual unwinding of the Emirati military footprint in the country.

The reported move also comes amid wider regional scrutiny of Emirati military cargo flights. Earlier this month, separate reports said Saudi Arabia imposed a ban on Emirati military cargo planes transiting its airspace. According to those accounts, Emirati aircraft carrying equipment and weapons allegedly bound for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces via Libya began routing through North Western State of Somalia and Ethiopia to airports in Chad before reaching Libya — a claim that could not be independently verified.

As of Tuesday, neither the Somali government nor Emirati authorities had issued a public statement confirming the ban. The lack of on-the-record confirmation leaves key details — including the precise scope and duration of the restrictions, and how exemptions will be handled — unresolved.

What is clear, according to the sources cited by media, is that Mogadishu intends to enforce the airspace restriction and is prepared to escalate if it sees further violations. The UAE’s request for a grace period suggests both sides are seeking room to manage the fallout, even as the dispute spotlights the risks of regional proxy entanglements and the sensitivity around sovereign airspace control.

• Ban reportedly covers Emirati military and cargo aircraft; civilian flights unaffected.
• Effective since Jan. 8, per Somali security sources; limited evacuation flights allowed.
• Alleged trigger: unapproved transit of Yemen’s STC leader Aidarus al-Zubaidi.
• Neither Somalia nor the UAE has publicly confirmed the move.

The developments place Somalia-UAE relations at a delicate juncture. Any sustained suspension of military air access would complicate Emirati logistics in the Horn of Africa and could reshape security coordination on Somali soil. For Somalia, the ban projects sovereignty and control over its airspace while risking a rupture with a longtime — if often contentious — partner.

The coming days will test whether quiet diplomacy can arrest the slide. Until then, airlines and military operators will be navigating a more complex map across the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea corridor, with Somalia’s skies at the center of a regional recalibration.

By Ali Musa

Axadle Times international–Monitoring.