Somalia–United Arab Emirates relations are

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

(UAE). Both nations are

Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...

members and engage in close development cooperation. Somalia also has an embassy in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, and the UAE maintains an embassy in

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

Overview

Relations between the territories of present-day Somalia and the United Arab Emirates stretch back to antiquity. The 1st century CE ''

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' ( grc, Περίπλους τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς Θαλάσσης, ', modern Greek '), also known by its Latin name as the , is a Greco-Roman periplus written in Koine Greek that describes navigation and ...

'', among other documents, reports early commercial exchanges between traders inhabiting city-states on the northern Somalia littoral with

Himyarite The Himyarite Kingdom ( ar, مملكة حِمْيَر, Mamlakat Ḥimyar, he, ממלכת חִמְיָר), or Himyar ( ar, حِمْيَر, ''Ḥimyar'', / 𐩹𐩧𐩺𐩵𐩬) ( fl. 110 BCE–520s CE), historically referred to as the Homerit ...

and

Sabaean Sabean or Sabaean may refer to: *Sabaeans, ancient people in South Arabia **Sabaean language, Old South Arabian language *Sabians, name of a religious group mentioned in the Quran, historically adopted by: **Mandaeans, Gnostic sect from the marshl ...

merchants, who controlled much of the

Arabian peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...

. During the Middle Ages and early modern period, the various Somali Sultanates also maintained close relations with other kingdoms across the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

After the start of the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

in Somalia in 1991, the UAE maintained diplomatic relations with the Somali

Transitional National Government The Transitional National Government (TNG) was the internationally recognized central government of Somalia from 2000 to 2004. Overview The TNG was established in April–May 2000 at the Somalia National Peace Conference held in Arta, Djibouti. ...

and its successor the

Transitional Federal Government The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) ( so, Dowladda Federaalka Kumeelgaarka, ar, الحكومة الاتحادية الانتقالية) was internationally recognized as a provisional government of the Republic of Somalia from 14 October ...

, and supported their government initiatives. The UAE has also officially supported the

Puntland Maritime Police Force The Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) is a security force based in Puntland, an autonomous region in northeastern Somalia. As of March 2012, the PMPF had around 500 personnel. The force is eventually expected to comprise 10,000 personnel. Ac ...

since the military body's formation in 2010. The subsequent establishment of the

Federal Government of Somalia The Government of Somalia (GS) ( so, Dowladda Soomaaliya, ar, حكومة الصومال الاتحادية) is the internationally recognised government of Somalia, and the first attempt to create a central government in Somalia since the Somal ...

in August 2012 was welcomed by the Emirati authorities, who re-affirmed the UAE's continued support for Somalia's government, its territorial integrity and sovereignty. In May 2019, a U.S. senator blamed the UAE for fostering conflict in Somalia, in particularly by nurturing animosity between Somalia's regional states (such as

Jubaland Jubaland ( so, Jubbaland, ar, , it, Oltregiuba), the Juba Valley ( so, Dooxada Jubba) or Azania ( so, Asaaniya, ar, ), is a Federal Member State in southern Somalia. Its eastern border lies east of the Jubba River, stretching from Gedo t ...

Puntland Puntland ( so, Puntland, ar, أرض البنط, it, Terra di Punt or ''Paese di Punt''), officially the Puntland State of Somalia ( so, Dowlad Goboleedka Puntland ee Soomaaliya, ar, ولاية أرض البنط الصومالية), is a F ...

) and the central government, particularly by signing separate economic deals, such as coastal ports.

DP World DP World is an Emirati multinational logistics company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It specialises in cargo logistics, port terminal operations, maritime services and free trade zones. Formed in 2005 by the merger of Dubai Ports Auth ...

operates the

Port of Berbera The Port of Berbera ( so, Dekedda Berbera, ar, ميناء بربرة), also known as Berbera Port, is the official seaport of Berbera, the commercial capital of Somaliland. It is classified as a major class port. Overview Berbera Port historic ...

Somaliland Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...

. The UAE has announced intentions to open a military base in Somaliland.

Development cooperation

In March 2014, Prime Minister of Somalia

Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed ( so, Cabdiweli Sheekh Axmed, ar, عبدالولي الشيخ أحمد; born 1959), also known as Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed Mohammad, is a Somali economist and politician. He previously worked in the Somali military governmen ...

began an official three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two nations. During talks with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential affairs Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Emirati authorities emphasized their commitment to the ongoing post-conflict reconstruction process in Somalia. They also pledged to assist in capacity building and the rehabilitation of government institutions. In January 2015, new Prime Minister of Somalia

Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke (; so, Cumar Cabdirashiid Cali Sharmaarke, ar, عمر شرماركي) (born 18 June 1960), popularly known as Omar Sharmarke, is a Somali diplomat and politician. From 2009 to 2010, he was the Prime Minister of Som ...

met with the United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Somalia Mohammed Ahmed Othman Al Hammadi at his Mogadishu office. The officials touched on various matters of bilateral interest, including military operations, governmental re-institutionalization, maritime security, and the local reconstruction process. Sharmarke noted the longstanding and close relationship between the territories of Somalia and the UAE. Ambassador Al Hammadi in turn pledged that the Emirati authorities would support the ongoing developmental activities in Somalia. In March 2015, Foreign Affairs Minister of Somalia

Abdisalam Omer Abdisalam Omer Hadliye ( so, Cabdisalaan Cumar Hadliye; ar, عبد السلام عمر), also known as Abdisalan Hadliye Omar, is a Somali economist and politician. He was previously a Chief of Staff at the Executive Office of the Mayor of the ...

met with th Foreign Affairs Minister of the United Arab Emirates

Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar, عبد الله بن زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان; born 30 April 1972) is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates. He is a son o ...

. The two leaders touched on various bilateral matters, including strengthening collaboration and cooperation in the security sector, among other areas. They also evaluated ongoing mutual projects and discussed the political situation in Somalia. Omer in turn commended the Emirati government for its various development initiatives in Somalia, and applauded the UAE's commitment to the reconstruction process therein.

Military cooperation

The United Arab Emirates trained hundreds of Somali troops since 2014. The UAE had been paying the salaries of several hundred Somali soldiers, and trained an anti-piracy force in

state of

. The training mission ended after Somali police seized money in three unmarked bags on a Royal Jet plane at the

Aden Adde International Airport Aden Adde International Airport ( so, Garoonka Caalamiga Ee Aadan Cadde, ar, مطار آدم عدي الدولي) , formerly known as Mogadishu International Airport, is an international airport serving Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. I ...

, according to the Somali interior ministry. The Somali government announced on Wednesday April 11, 2018, that it will take over paying and training the soldiers in the programme, Defence Minister Mohamed Mursal Abdirahman told Somalia's state news agency Sonna. "Somalia will fully take over ts troopstrained by the UAE... Those forces will be added to the various battalions of the Somalia National Army," Abdirahman said, adding the soldiers would be integrated into other units on Thursday.

Agreements

In late March 2013, Foreign Minister of Somalia Fowziya Yusuf Haji Adan and her Emirati counterpart Sheikh

signed a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral cooperation. The agreement re-establishes formal diplomatic ties between Somalia and the UAE, and also focuses on the political, security, economic, investment and development sectors. Additionally, the Emirati government announced that it would re-open its embassy in Mogadishu. In November 2014, Somalia and the United Arab Emirates signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance military cooperation.

Diplomatic missions

The Somali Federal Government maintains an embassy in Abu Dhabi. The

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

is led by Ambassador AbdulKadir Sheikhey Al-Hatimi. The United Arab Emirates' embassy in

is headed by Ambassador Mohammed Ahmed Othman Al Hammadi.

References

External links

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Somalia-United Arab Emirates relations

Bilateral relations of the United Arab Emirates