Monday January 12, 2026
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s federal government has canceled security and defense agreements with the United Arab Emirates linked to several strategic ports, citing what it described as serious breaches of the country’s sovereignty, national unity and political independence.
The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting in Mogadishu, where ministers agreed to annul all agreements and cooperative arrangements related to the ports of Berbera, Bosaso and Kismayo, according to an official statement.
The decision follows an investigation by Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Agency into the alleged 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 group.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has accused al-Zubaidi of defying instructions to travel to Riyadh for talks, instead mobilizing forces toward Al-Dhale in southwestern Yemen. Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki later alleged that al-Zubaidi fled the southern Yemeni city of Aden by sea and then left the region by air, with Abu Dhabi facilitating his transit through Somali territory.
Al-Maliki said al-Zubaidi boarded a flight accompanied by aides “under the supervision of UAE officers.”
Somali officials have not publicly confirmed whether al-Zubaidi transited through the country, but the Cabinet cited the broader investigation as part of the context for its decision to cancel the port-related agreements.
The ports affected Berbera in Somaliland, Bosaso in Puntland and Kismayo in Jubbaland are among Somalia’s most strategically and economically important gateways. UAE-linked companies and security arrangements have played prominent roles at several of these ports over the past decade, often fueling tensions between the federal government and regional administrations.
The decision also comes amid heightened diplomatic friction involving the UAE. Last month, Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state, a move Somalia has fiercely rejected.
Despite the cancellations, Somalia said it remains open to international cooperation, provided it is “founded on recognition of Somalia’s unity,” according to the Cabinet statement.
During the same meeting, ministers approved a draft law aimed at protecting Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial unity, as well as an arbitration bill, the prime minister’s office said.
The proposed sovereignty law would prohibit regional administrations and private entities from entering into agreements with foreign parties without prior notification to, and approval from, the federal government, along with oversight by the relevant ministry. Officials said the measure is intended to prevent unilateral deals that could undermine national authority.
Analysts say the Cabinet’s decisions mark one of the strongest assertions yet by the federal government over foreign security and commercial engagements, particularly in a country where power-sharing between Mogadishu and regional states remains deeply contested.