Diplomatic sources have revealed that the UAE plans to secure a foothold for Israel in the Horn of Africa by financing the establishment of a military base for Tel Aviv in Somaliland.
Sources told “Emirates Leaks” that the UAE secretly proposed establishing a military and intelligence base for Israel in Somaliland, with Abu Dhabi providing full financial support for the project.
According to the sources, Abu Dhabi convinced the local authorities in Somaliland of the necessity to establish an Israeli military base in exchange for working with Tel Aviv to officially recognize the state of Somaliland.
The UAE’s move aims to ensure an Israeli military presence in Somaliland as part of a strategy to invest in countries bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa (specifically Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Eritrea). This is in addition to the ongoing conflict in Yemen to extend influence over the area surrounding the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Somaliland, which borders the Gulf of Aden and holds a strategic location in the Horn of Africa, declared its separation from Somalia following the overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
This move came after a bitter conflict between Barre’s forces and separatists who waged a guerrilla war in the region, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and the destruction of many cities.
Although no state has officially recognized Somaliland, the region has an effective political system, government institutions, a police force, its own currency, and its capital in Hargeisa, with Berbera as its main city.
UAE’s Role
Despite the lack of official recognition for Somaliland, the UAE has a significant presence in the region.
In March 2018, Somaliland’s administration announced that the UAE would train security forces in the region as part of an agreement to establish an Emirati military base there.
In 2017, the UAE began constructing a base at Berbera Airport in the region, with permission to remain for thirty years. Berbera is located less than 300 kilometers south of Yemen.
In October of last year, DP World launched a $101 million project to expand Berbera Port.
The project was launched amid opposition from Somalia, which considers it a violation of its sovereignty. Senior officials stated that such agreements undermine the legitimate authority of Mogadishu.
UAE Conspiracies
The UAE is the first country to recognize the Republic of Somaliland, the breakaway Somali region.
Abu Dhabi’s stance has sparked an ongoing political crisis with the Somali federal government.
The UAE has a military base in Berbera, serving as a stark reminder of how the UAE is fragmenting the Horn of Africa.
It also risks exacerbating the conflict between Somalia’s weak internationally recognized federal government in Mogadishu and its troubled separatist regions.
In April 2018, Somalia ended all diplomatic or military cooperation with the UAE in protest of its conspiracies against the country’s unity.
Since 2014, the UAE had been training Somali forces in Mogadishu, paying their salaries, and establishing an anti-piracy force in Puntland.
Hundreds of weapons were looted from the training center in Mogadishu during its closure.
Subsequently, the Somali parliament passed a law banning DP World operations throughout Somalia.
The European Parliament had previously accused the UAE of destabilizing Somalia and the Horn of Africa.
The European Parliament called on Abu Dhabi to cease all actions that threaten stability in Somalia and to respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
