Somalia Says 'No Thanks' to UAE, media Says 'Sovereignty'
Al Jazeera reports that Somalia's annulment of agreements with the UAE signifies a strong stance on sovereignty. This follows Somalia's rejection of an Ethio-Somaliland port deal and a decision to expel the UAE's ambassador in 2019 for attempting to set up a military base (Source: Al Jazeera, 2019). The current 'assertiveness' comes conveniently after years of regional powers vying for influence,
from Djibouti to Berbera, often under the guise of 'development' or 'security cooperation'. One might wonder if this newfound nationalistic fervor extends to scrutinizing all foreign entanglement, or just the ones that don't align with other regional heavyweights' interests. While the media focuses on Somalia 'drawing a line', the broader narrative often omits the proxy battles playing out in the
Red Sea and Horn of Africa, where Gulf states and other regional players have long treated fragile nations like chess pieces. It appears sometimes 'sovereignty' is a banner unfurled only when a lesser-known patron replaces a more overt one. How many times must a nation 'assert' its independence before the underlying power dynamics are actually addressed?