Somalia Cries Foul Over UAE Smuggling, Forgetting Its Own Red Carpet for Foreign Meddling
Somali Minister Ali Omar frames the UAE's unauthorized flight as an egregious violation of sovereignty, claiming it was the 'last straw.' This 'last straw' comes seemingly out of nowhere, ignoring decades of Gulf states, including the UAE, carving out influence and military bases across the Horn of Africa with Somalia's compliance, or at least, passive acquiescence. The UAE, for instance, operated
a military base in Berbera, Somaliland, and engaged in private security contracts across the region, blurring lines of sovereignty for years. One might wonder at the timing of this sudden assertiveness. Is Somalia truly concerned about airspace integrity, or is this outrage a convenient distraction from its own complex internal political dynamics and its shifting alliances in a volatile region?
The 'last straw' often appears only when a new, more lucrative 'deal' is on the table, or when a rival power offers better terms for 'shared' sovereignty. Suddenly, a clear line is drawn, where previously there was only a hazy, profit-driven squiggle.