But on Monday, Somalia's federal government announced the cancellation of all port management and security cooperation agreements with the UAE, accusing it of undermining the country's sovereignty. Omar Mahmoud, a senior researcher at the International Crisis Group think-tank, tells the BBC that Israel's recognition of Somaliland formed the backdrop to the decision. "Using Somalia's airspace, Somalia's airfields to smuggle a fugitive is not something that Somalia condones," Ali Omar, Somalia's state minister for foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera. "Mogadishu controls the country's airspace and can use that, alongside diplomatic pressure, to push both the UAE and the regional administrations. Mahmoud does not see relations between Somalia and the UAE improving in the foreseeable future, as "trust has been lost".

Source: Ethiopian News January 15, 2026 19:02 UTC