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Somalia has torn up all agreements with the United Arab Emirates after UAE-backed Yemeni separatist leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi illegally entered the Gulf Arab country through the breakaway region of Somaliland, a top minister has said.<\/p>\n
The move also comes in the wake of Israel\u2019s world-first recognition of Somaliland, which has been roundly condemned across Africa and the Arab world and beyond.<\/p>\n list of 2 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n Ali Omar, Somalia\u2019s state minister for foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera that the entry of al-Zubaidi, leader of the now-defunct Southern Transitional Council (STC), into Somali territory on January 8 was \u201cthe last straw\u201d that prompted Mogadishu to cancel all deals with Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n The decision, announced by Somalia\u2019s Council of Ministers on Monday, annuls agreements spanning port operations, security cooperation and defence.<\/p>\n \u201cUsing Somalia\u2019s airspace, Somalia\u2019s airfields to smuggle a fugitive is not something that Somalia condones,\u201d Omar said, describing how al-Zubaidi allegedly travelled on a UAE-registered cargo plane from Berbera port to Mogadishu.<\/p>\n He said Somali authorities received the plane\u2019s manifest, but al-Zubaidi\u2019s name was not listed, suggesting he was hiding aboard.<\/p>\n Omar emphasised that while the incident triggered the decision, it reflected deeper frustrations with the UAE\u2019s conduct in Somalia.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was one of the reasons we took this action. Not the reason, but one of the reasons,\u201d he said. \u201cWe tried to deal with them diplomatically, but now we have decided to take action. Diplomacy didn\u2019t work, and so now the constitution has to work.\u201d<\/p>\n The announcement has exposed deep fractures in Somalia\u2019s federal system, which grants member states significant autonomy over their affairs.<\/p>\n Within hours of the decision, two regions with close commercial and security ties with the UAE rejected Mogadishu\u2019s authority to cancel the agreements.<\/p>\n Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but lacks international recognition, also closely aligned with Abu Dhabi, rejected it too.<\/p>\n The minister said Somalia had exhausted diplomatic channels before taking action.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were hoping things would change, but it did not change,\u201d Omar told Al Jazeera, adding that the country is \u201cclaiming its sovereignty again, and we are asking people to respect that.\u201d<\/p>\n He drew parallels between Somalia\u2019s situation and Yemen\u2019s conflict, praising Saudi efforts to stabilise the country and noting that \u201ca stable Yemen helps stabilise Somalia and vice versa\u201d.<\/p>\n A broader regional convergence of interests with Riyadh forms the backdrop to this decision, following Saudi Arabia\u2019s move to push the UAE-backed STC out of Yemen and its adoption of a more assertive posture against Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n Somalia\u2019s Information Minister Daud Aweis insisted the decision wasn\u2019t taken under Saudi pressure in an interview with Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n The UAE has not commented on the allegations or Somalia\u2019s decision to cancel agreements.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n