MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – The United Arab Emirates has begun withdrawing its military hardware and personnel from Somalia, complying with an order by the Somali federal government banning UAE military and cargo aircraft from using the country’s airspace, Caasimada Online news website reported on Saturday.
Several Emirati cargo flights carrying military hardware have already departed Somalia for the UAE, flying out of Mogadishu and the port city of Bosaso since the ban was reported by media on Thursday.
The decision followed reports that the United Arab Emirates had assisted in the covert escape of Yemen’s southern separatist leader, Aidarous Al-Zoubaidi, by secretly flying him from Mogadishu to Abu Dhabi aboard a military aircraft. Al-Zoubaidi had been due to take part in Saudi-hosted talks on Yemen’s crisis.
According to the reports, he first arrived by boat in the Somaliland port city of Berbera before being airlifted to Mogadishu, where he subsequently departed for the UAE.
Somalia said on Thursday that it had opened an investigation into the allegations and warned it would take appropriate measures should the reports prove accurate. The government said it was unacceptable for a fugitive to be secretly transported through Somalia’s airports and airspace.
The Somali federal government has reportedly formally notified the United Arab Emirates of the ban, ordering a complete halt to its use of Somali airspace for military purposes.
Four UAE cargo aircraft carrying weapons and military equipment are expected to depart Mogadishu in the coming days, with six more flights set to leave from Bosaso in Puntland. The UAE has long been accused of using Bosaso as a transit hub for transporting weapons and mercenaries to support Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces in their conflict with the Sudanese government.
Relations between Somalia and the United Arab Emirates have reached their lowest point this week, with Mogadishu openly siding with Saudi Arabia in its proxy conflict in Yemen and backing efforts to defeat the Southern Transitional Council separatists.
Even before the airspace ban, ties between Mogadishu and Abu Dhabi had been steadily deteriorating. Somali officials have voiced suspicions that the UAE played a significant role in Israel’s recognition of Somaliland and was lobbying other countries to follow suit, further deepening mistrust between the two governments.
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