UAE base in Somaliland under construction

[Deeq A.]

Construction of a United Arab Emirates naval base in the separatist region of Somaliland has begun, according to a UN report released on 8 November.

Satellite imagery from 30 October shows progress on what the UN Monitoring Group has identified as the naval base that the UAE is building near Berbera. (2017, DigitalGlobe, Inc)

It was announced in February that Somaliland’s parliament had approved the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) request to establish a military base in Berbera, but few details have been released.

The report by the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea said that eight members of parliament who opposed the move were physically removed from parliament before the vote, and those who voted in favour were each paid USD10,000.

The Monitoring Group identified the location of a naval base that is being constructed 8.5 km west of Berbera’s existing port, and 2 km north of the city’s airport.