UAE Pulls Equipment from Mogadishu After Somalia Cancels Security Agreements

UAE airlifts equipment from Mogadishu after Somalia cancels security, defense pacts

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The United Arab Emirates has begun flying out equipment and supplies from Somalia, with three cargo planes carrying UAE government materials departing Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport on Thursday, according to people familiar with the operation.

Government and aviation sources said the departures marked the opening phase of a broader withdrawal following Somalia’s decision this week to annul security and defense agreements linked to the Emirates. Two additional aircraft are expected in the capital on Friday to complete the removal, the sources said.

Officials familiar with the process said the export followed wrangling over procedures, including documentation and authorization. Emirati personnel initially resisted Somali government directives, the officials said, but later complied by submitting flight manifests and other required paperwork before the planes were cleared for takeoff.

The visible drawdown comes days after Somalia’s federal Cabinet voted to cancel all security and defense agreements and cooperative arrangements connected to the ports of Berbera, Bosaso and Kismayo, citing what it described as serious breaches of the country’s sovereignty, national unity and political independence.

The Cabinet decision followed an investigation by Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Agency into what authorities alleged was the unauthorized use of Somali airspace and territory in connection with the movements of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the head of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council, a UAE-backed separatist faction.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has accused al-Zubaidi of defying instructions to travel to Riyadh for talks, saying he instead mobilized forces toward Al-Dhale in Yemen’s southwest. Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki later alleged that al-Zubaidi fled Aden by sea and ultimately 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 Southern Transitional Council has denied the account and insists its leader remains in Aden.

The dispute adds strain to already fraught ties between Mogadishu and Abu Dhabi. Last month, Israel became the first country to formally recognize North Western State of Somalia as an independent state — a move Somalia vehemently rejected. Reports citing Israeli officials said the recognition was facilitated by the UAE, further aggravating tensions.

The Emirates has long cultivated deep economic and security relationships across the Horn of Africa. In North Western State of Somalia, Dubai-based DP World has a $442 million concession to develop and operate the Port of Berbera, part of a logistics corridor intended to link the Red Sea to Ethiopia. Somalia’s federal government considers North Western State of Somalia part of its internationally recognized territory and has repeatedly objected to foreign agreements concluded without its consent.

Thursday’s flights from Mogadishu suggest a recalibration of the UAE’s on-the-ground presence in federal Somalia even as its influence remains significant in regional administrations. It was not immediately clear whether the removals would affect Emirati-linked training, logistics or other support networks elsewhere in the country.

Somali officials say the government remains open to international partnerships, but only on terms that respect Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and constitutional authority — a stance now being tested as one of Mogadishu’s most powerful foreign partners pulls back.

What to watch

• Additional flights expected Friday to complete the export of UAE equipment from Mogadishu.
• Whether the withdrawal extends beyond the capital to programs tied to regional ports and security cooperation.
• Potential diplomatic repercussions from the Yemen and North Western State of Somalia flashpoints, and any formal responses from Abu Dhabi.
• Impact on logistics and aid pipelines if Emirati-linked operations in Somalia are scaled down.

Neither Somali nor Emirati officials immediately released detailed inventories of the equipment removed or timelines for next steps. But the acceleration of departures underscores how quickly a diplomatic rupture can translate into operational shifts on the ground, from airport tarmacs in Mogadishu to contested corridors across the Red Sea.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.