UAE naval base deal threat to Somali and Horn of Africa stability- Parliament

Somali Parliament Wednesday warned the naval base deal between the break-away region of Somaliland and the United Arab Emirates could cause a further political instability in Somalia and the rest of the Horn of Africa.

In a motion tabled before the House today, the lawmakers said the agreement which granted the Emirati military a 30 year lease to build and operate a naval base at the port of Berbera violated the country’s constitution and international law.

The lawmakers also warned the agreement not only compromised Somalia’s sovereignty but also jeorpardised the unity and territorial integrity of the country.

The motion signed by 20 lawmakers also sought the Federal Government’s stand on the matter and went ahead to summon the new administration to the House to explain what it knows regarding the agreement.

Somaliland Senate passed a near unanimous vote February granting the UAE the lease besides a similar lease to UAE’s DP World months before to manage the port of Berbera for 30 years. President Farmaajo has expressed his objection to the deal and was reported to have sought the intervention of the Saudi Defence Minister Mohamed bin Salman Al Saud at an informal level to convince the Emiratis to drop the deal.

The lawmakers Wednesday also said the deal would hurt the relations between Somalia and the UAE. A section of lawmakers in Somaliland including the Lower House speaker Abdirahman Mohamed Irro spoke against the deal warning it would compromise the region’s security.