Mogadishu — Somalia’s federal government has canceled security and defense agreements with the United Arab Emirates tied to the strategic ports of Berbera, Bosaso and Kismayo, citing serious violations of the country’s sovereignty, national unity and political independence.
The Cabinet decision, taken Monday in Mogadishu, annuls “all agreements and cooperative arrangements” related to the three ports, according to an official statement. The move was based on “reports and strong evidence regarding wrongful actions that undermine the sovereignty, national unity and political independence” of Somalia, the statement said, without specifying the contracts or timelines involved.
- Advertisement -
Somali officials did not detail the scope of the canceled accords, but the breadth of the announcement signals a sweeping rejection of foreign security and commercial deals seen to bypass or weaken federal authority.
The decision follows an investigation by Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Agency into the alleged unauthorized use of Somali airspace and territory linked to the movements of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the head of Yemen’s UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council. Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether al-Zubaidi transited through Somalia, but cabinet ministers cited the ongoing inquiry as part of the context for the cancellations.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has accused al-Zubaidi of defying instructions to travel to Riyadh for talks and instead mobilizing forces toward Al-Dhale in southwestern Yemen. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki later alleged that al-Zubaidi fled the southern Yemeni city of Aden by sea and then left the region by air, with Abu Dhabi facilitating his transit through Somali territory. Al-Maliki said al-Zubaidi boarded a flight with aides “under the supervision of UAE officers.”
The ports affected — Berbera in North Western State of Somalia, Bosaso in Puntland State and Kismayo in Jubbaland — are among Somalia’s most strategically and economically important gateways. Over the past decade, UAE-linked companies and security arrangements have played prominent roles at several of these facilities, often intensifying friction between Mogadishu and regional administrations over who controls foreign partnerships and revenue streams.
The cabinet action comes amid heightened diplomatic strain involving the UAE. Last month, Israel became the first country to formally recognize North Western State of Somalia as an independent state, a move Somalia has fiercely rejected, reiterating that North Western State of Somalia remains part of its internationally recognized territory.
Despite revoking the agreements, Somalia said it remains open to international cooperation as long as such engagement is “founded on recognition of Somalia’s unity,” according to the cabinet statement. Officials portrayed the shift not as isolationism but as a reassertion of centralized oversight over foreign security and commercial activity.
Ministers also approved a draft law aimed at protecting Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial unity, along with an arbitration bill, the prime minister’s office said. The proposed sovereignty law would prohibit regional administrations and private entities from entering into agreements with foreign parties without prior notification to, and approval from, the federal government, with oversight by the relevant ministry. Officials said the measure is intended to prevent unilateral deals that could undermine national authority or complicate foreign policy.
Analysts said the decisions amount to one of Mogadishu’s clearest assertions of federal primacy over external engagements in years, reflecting enduring tensions in Somalia’s power-sharing model. With the status of port management, security partnerships and investment agreements often contested between national and regional authorities, the cabinet’s move sets the stage for renewed debate — and potential renegotiations — over how foreign actors operate in Somalia’s most critical maritime hubs.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
