Somalia Has Been Sucked Into Gulf Crisis And There is No Easy Way Out

Source: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters

The government of Somalia has strongly condemned Somaliland’s recently signed agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) regarding the construction of a military base in Somaliland. The disagreement highlights how the conflict between Somalia and the semi-autonomous nation has become part of a larger crisis occurring in the Persian Gulf.

The agreement, signed by Somaliland and the UAE, grants the UAE permission to build a military base in the Somali port-city of Berbera in return for infrastructure development and job creation. The deal also gives DP World, a Dubai-based company, control of Berbera’s port, which exports millions of livestock to the Gulf on a yearly basis.

However, as Somalia regards Somaliland as part of its territory, the country’s parliament has nullified the port deal and criticized Somaliland for acting without the authority of Somalia’s central government.

"Somaliland and DP World have been very arrogant and disrespectful," Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Isse Awad told the BBC.

“The company cannot legally sign an agreement without our consent. We will not allow any party to violate our sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Nevertheless, the deal struck between Somaliland and the UAE can be seen as a representation of how Somalia has recently become the center of a current Gulf Crisis between Qatar and Turkey on one side and Saudi Arabia and the UAE on the other.

By strongly opposing Somaliland’s deal with the UAE, the Somali government now finds itself in a difficult situation. On the one hand, the country is allied to Qatar and Turkey. However, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are vital trading partners to Somalia.

Located on the Horn of Africa, Somalia sits in an extremely strategic position for anyone looking to establish trade routes between Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Thus, from the early 2000s, the UAE has made Somalia a priority in its foreign policy, and the country has increased its presence in the African nation ever since. The UAE has focused especially on gaining control of various Somali ports, like those of Berbera, Bossaso, and Mogadishu, in an attempt to increase the UAE’s maritime presence in the Red Sea.

As for Saudi Arabia, the country imports 80% of Somalia’s livestock, making the Arab nation a key trading partner that Somalia cannot afford to alienate.

However, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have continued to strike deals with Somaliland without the Somalian central government’s approval. Therefore, Somalia’s government sees these agreements as disrespectful to the country’s central authority. On the other hand, Somalia has been unwilling to join a Saudi led effort to cut ties with Qatar, leading the UAE and Saudi Arabia to question Somalia’s neutrality.

Another recent example of these rising animosities took place last week, when Somalia intercepted a planechartered by UAE diplomats and confiscated $9.6 million in cash, saying it would investigate the money’s intended use.

The UAE quickly responded by condemning the seizure, describing it as a breach of diplomatic protocol. Both nations then issued statements ending a military cooperation program, which began in 2014, that involved UAE forces training and paying the salaries of over 2,000 Somali soldiers.

Soon after the statements were issued, Qatar donated 30 buses and two cranes to Somalia’s regional officials.

Thus, Somalia now finds itself in a lose-lose situation, as it cannot afford to choose sides, yet it is also scrutinized for its unwillingness to cut ties with any of the opposing countries.  

"Somalia has become a chessboard in the power game between Qatar and Turkey on the one side and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their allies on the other," Rashid Abdi, director of the Horn of Africa project at the International Crisis Group told the BBC.

"There is no doubt that these rivalries are spilling over into Africa. Somalia is especially vulnerable because of its proximity to the Gulf and its long historical relationship with the region."

Now, as the UAE and Saudi Arabia continue to ignore the Somali government in their dealings with Somaliland, Somalia will most likely try to solidify its alliance with Qatar, but this could further damage the country’s trade relationships with the UAE and Saudi Arabia. If Somalia is drawn deeper into the crisis, this will perhaps pave the way for yet another economic disaster for the war-torn nation.