Friday 16 Jun 2026 {HMC} The United Arab Emirates has begun exporting its equipment and supplies from Somalia, with three cargo planes carrying UAE government materials departing Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport on Thursday, sources familiar with the matter said.
Government and aviation sources told Hiiraan Online that the flights marked the start of a broader withdrawal of UAE equipment from Mogadishu following Somalia’s decision this week to cancel security and defense agreements linked to the Emirates. Two additional planes are expected to arrive in the capital on Friday to complete the removal process, the sources said.
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Officials familiar with the operation said the export was preceded by disagreements between Somali and Emirati officials over procedures, including documentation and authorization. UAE officials initially resisted Somali government directives, the sources said, but later complied, submitting flight manifests and other required information before the aircraft were cleared to depart.
The withdrawal comes days after Somalia’s federal Cabinet voted to annul all security and defense agreements and cooperative arrangements connected to the ports of Berbera, Bosaso and Kismayo, citing what it described as serious breaches of Somalia’s sovereignty, national unity and political independence.
The decision followed 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 before leaving 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.” The Southern Transitional Council has denied the claim, insisting its leader remains in Aden.
The deterioration in relations is also unfolding against a wider diplomatic backdrop. Last month, Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state, a move Somalia fiercely rejected. Reports, citing Israeli officials, said the recognition was facilitated by Abu Dhabi, further straining ties between Mogadishu and the UAE.
The Emirates has long cultivated deep economic and security ties with Somaliland, including a $442 million investment by Dubai-based logistics firm DP World to develop and operate the Port of Berbera. Somalia’s federal government considers Somaliland part of its internationally recognized territory and has repeatedly objected to foreign agreements made without its consent.
The visible withdrawal of UAE equipment from Mogadishu underscores the sharp escalation in tensions between the two governments and signals a potential recalibration of the Emirates’ on-the-ground presence in federal Somalia, even as its influence remains strong in regional administrations.
Somali officials say the government remains open to international cooperation, but only on terms that fully respect Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and constitutional authority a position that is now being tested as one of Mogadishu’s most powerful foreign partners pulls back.
Source Hiiraan Online
