UAE will equip & train Somaliland National Armed Forces

[Suldaanka]

UAE to train Somaliland forces under military base deal - Somaliland president

BU DHABI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will train Somaliland security forces as part of a deal to establish a military base in the semi-autonomous region, Somaliland’s president said on Thursday.

 

UAE government officials could not immediately be reached for comment - but the UAE has committed to invest hundreds of million dollars in recent years in the territory on a strategically important stretch of coastline on the Gulf of Aden.

The UAE began construction last year of a base on a site at the airport of the Somaliland port city Berbera, and will be allowed to maintain a presence for 30 years. Berbera is less than 300 km (190 miles) south of war-torn Yemen, where UAE troops are fighting rebels as part of a Saudi-backed coalition.

 

President Muse Bihi Abdi said the UAE would train police and military in Somaliland, which wants independence from war-torn Somalia but is not recognized internationally. He said he expected the agreement to be finalised within two months.

“They have the resources and the knowledge,” Abdi told Reuters in an interview in Abu Dhabi.

UAE has become more assertive in its foreign policy in recent years. The UAE Armed Forces have been fighting in the Yemen conflict since 2015 and in the past deployed in international operations including Kosovo and Afghanistan.

 

Abdi said the military base, which he expects will be completed this year, will guarantee economic development and security for Somaliland and act as a deterrent to extremist groups in the region.

Somaliland’s Foreign Minister, Saad Ali Shire, who was present during the interview, declined to disclose how many UAE soldiers would be stationed at the base.

“POLITICAL MISTAKE”

Several regional powers have set up military bases along the Horn of Africa coastline, including Turkey in Somalia’s capital. The United States, China, Japan and France all have bases in neighboring Djibouti.

“It’s safer to have a lot of military in the area,” Abdi said.

Abdi said he hoped UAE investments, including a new civilian airport and a road connecting Berbera to landlocked Ethiopia, will lead to a “huge creation of employment” in Somaliland where unemployment is rampant.

“The biggest threat to Somaliland is poverty,” he said.

Dubai’s DP World is also developing Berbera port and building a free trade zone nearby.

This week, Somalia’s parliament voted to ban DP World from the country, an act that it said had nullified the agreement.

 

Abdi said the vote was a “joke” and a “political mistake” that would have no impact on the DP World agreement that includes the government of Ethiopia.

Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 and has acted as a de-facto state since then..

Abdi also said he expected the UAE would make a hard currency deposit into Somaliland’s central bank but added that there had been no agreement between the two sides.

Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Maggie Fick and Andrew Heavens

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[Suldaanka]

UAE Defence, a mechanised unit training mode

[Suldaanka]

Quote

9 minutes ago, Suldaanka said:

Abdi said the vote was a “joke” and a “political mistake” that would have no impact on the DP World agreement that includes the government of Ethiopia.

 

President MBC says the circus in Mogadishu made a political mistake that will haunt them. And confirmed the Berbera Agreement is business as usual. 

 

[galbeedi]

I didn't even read yet about these news, before I commented about the demonstrations which were smoke screen to deceive the people about the base.

It confirms my sources about the military base deal. THe Dubai guys put the dP World issue on the back burner and now  want to talk about the base.

THe old deal about the base was conditional of dubai building airports, roadways, and preferential treatment of Somaliland business and travelers. all that is out of the window. They want to lease the base yearly without building anything.

AS we write this response, we do not know if Biixi accepted or not.

[Old_Observer]

Somalilanders,

Need to observe and inspect what UAE did in Eritrea, since you are in the same boat now. The only difference is you have another issue as well that of the port.

But lets see what UAE did in Eritrea;

The base is assumed to be for 20 years

Eritrea is payed yearly

Main purpose of base was and is being used for war in Yemen, but this is never mentioned by Eritrea and UAE

UAE has demanded and got eviction of Eritrean forces from the whole area so UAE has unfettered and unmonitored access to whole province/district around the base. Eritrea has dismantled and taken away her army base that was 10km away from that of UAE

Eritrea was forced to cut all its relations with Qatar. Until UAE base Qatar was protector, supporter everything of Eritrea. So much so that Qatar and Ethiopia cut their diplomatic relations. It takes a lot of abuse by other countries for Ethiopia to cut diplomatic relations, but Qatar was forcing Djibouti as "peace keeper" in border with Eritrea.

UAE is worst and more Bedewinly arrogant than America.

This has nothing to do with DP issue, but simply military base.

I will summarize what UAE base in Yemen was capable to do so much destruction to country itself.

 

 

 

 

[cadnaan1]

No big deal here UAE were last five years in puntland training puntland security forces.

[Holac]

If this is all that Mr Bihi brought back, then it is a disappointment. UAE has the biggest embassy and training facilities in Mogadishu. They have been training Puntland forces (Saracen) since Faroole time. 

This looks like a face-saving exercise for the UAE and Mr. Bihi

 

[Old_Observer]

22 minutes ago, cadnaan1 said:

No big deal here UAE were last five years in puntland training puntland security forces.

That is completely different from that of Somaliland or Eritrea.

USA also trained and supported with Puntland

Ethiopia also did the same

Having a base is different than co-operating or working together.

 

UAE in Somaliland looks like same as the one in Eritrea and Yemen. UAE tried to get same in Sudan, but failed.

I sense some hipocrisy here with Military bases. Aren't military bases more issue of sovereigntiy than ports internationally as known from past history?

[Holac]

1 hour ago, Old_Observer said:

Somalilanders,

Need to observe and inspect what UAE did in Eritrea since you are in the same boat now. The only difference is you have another issue as well that of the port.

But let's see what UAE did in Eritrea;

The base is assumed to be for 20 years

Eritrea is paid yearly

Main purpose of base was and is being used for war in Yemen, but this is never mentioned by Eritrea and UAE

UAE has demanded and got eviction of Eritrean forces from the whole area so UAE has unfettered and unmonitored access to whole province/district around the base. Eritrea has dismantled and taken away her army base that was 10km away from that of UAE

Eritrea was forced to cut all its relations with Qatar. Until UAE base Qatar was protector, supporter everything of Eritrea. So much so that Qatar and Ethiopia cut their diplomatic relations. It takes a lot of abuse by other countries for Ethiopia to cut diplomatic relations, but Qatar was forcing Djibouti as "peace keeper" in border with Eritrea.

UAE is worst and more Bedewinly arrogant than America.

This has nothing to do with DP issue, but simply military base.

I will summarize what UAE base in Yemen was capable to do so much destruction to country itself.

 

Interesting observations. 

[Holac]

Oodweyne, please share, unless it is a top secret of course. 

[Old_Observer]

1 hour ago, Oodweyne said:

 

There are lots of stuff that are being cooked. Some are, naturally, state secret, and I am not privy to it, at least in detail sense of the word. Although the gist of it is something I am aware of it. And some other stuff are what is being worked on as we speak. All in all, in time all will be cleared. So lets just wait till the "cooking" of it is done properly.

Oodewetne,

How about we bring the stove to higher tempreture by using SOL knob handled by galbeedi. It will cook faster may not taste good, but will cook faster, not uniformly.

Just kidding.

These things and speculations can affect life of some poor nomad somewhere for irrisponsible netters and politicians.

 

You see what the British did: Banned Britain First and leaders from social media. The same Britain that was critical of Ethiopia for shuting down facebook in some areas where life and limb was at stake.

[gooni]

Waa ilmo ka tir wax wayn ma'ahan

Imaaraadku wuu garanayaa inaysan wax dan ah ugu jirin kala goynta somaaliya iyo amniga qowmiyadda carabta oo dhan in laysku hubooyo dad faqri iyo talo xumo soo daashatay ayaduna waa cawaaqib xumo kale.

Mar haduu sharciyaddii waayay inuu ilmadana ka tiro snm, cashana u sameeyo waa caadooyinka carabtii hore lagu yaqaanay, waxayna u yaqaanaan (karram).

Dal aadan sharciyaddiisa haysan haddaad ciidan gayso iskana maamulato ayadana carabtu waxay u taqaan (ixtilaal) ama gumaysi.

 

[Tillamook]

On 3/15/2018 at 2:53 PM, Old_Observer said:

Somalilanders,

Need to observe and inspect what UAE did in Eritrea, since you are in the same boat now. The only difference is you have another issue as well that of the port.

But lets see what UAE did in Eritrea;

The base is assumed to be for 20 years

Eritrea is payed yearly

Main purpose of base was and is being used for war in Yemen, but this is never mentioned by Eritrea and UAE

UAE has demanded and got eviction of Eritrean forces from the whole area so UAE has unfettered and unmonitored access to whole province/district around the base. Eritrea has dismantled and taken away her army base that was 10km away from that of UAE

Eritrea was forced to cut all its relations with Qatar. Until UAE base Qatar was protector, supporter everything of Eritrea. So much so that Qatar and Ethiopia cut their diplomatic relations. It takes a lot of abuse by other countries for Ethiopia to cut diplomatic relations, but Qatar was forcing Djibouti as "peace keeper" in border with Eritrea.

UAE is worst and more Bedewinly arrogant than America.

This has nothing to do with DP issue, but simply military base.

I will summarize what UAE base in Yemen was capable to do so much destruction to country itself.

 

 

 

 

OO, what’s this? What ever happened to the tri-partite agreement that you were supporting a week ago? Are we now back to calling the Emirates, “Bedawin” now their true intent is obvious...😁

[Tillamook]

On 3/15/2018 at 4:03 PM, Old_Observer said:

That is completely different from that of Somaliland or Eritrea.

USA also trained and supported with Puntland

Ethiopia also did the same

Having a base is different than co-operating or working together.

 

UAE in Somaliland looks like same as the one in Eritrea and Yemen. UAE tried to get same in Sudan, but failed.

I sense some hipocrisy here with Military bases. Aren't military bases more issue of sovereigntiy than ports internationally as known from past history?

 Calaacal.com 😆

OO, don’t worry too much...the military base comes with a 19% stake for Ethiopia in Berbera... lol😆

Surely, The Bedawin are friends of the Tigray...ha ha ha😎

[Old_Observer]

5 hours ago, Tillamook said:

 Calaacal.com 😆

OO, don’t worry too much...the military base comes with a 19% stake for Ethiopia in Berbera... lol😆

Surely, The Bedawin are friends of the Tigray...ha ha ha😎

The more military bases all around the better for Ethiopia in the short term. Its a source of income. Let me copy from the other thread what I had replied to you regarding military bases:

As for military bases, from Ethiopias stand point primarily its Somalilands choice but regardless who they choose its always a good source of income to Ethiopia.

Nobody in all of East Africa has set up shop that does not have arrangement with Ethiopia, even when countries send peace keepers to South Sudan whether Europeans, Japanese, Chinese, Americans, Russians all have arrangement with Ethiopia. All the bases in Djibouti even the French have arrangement with Ethiopia and they pay money for it.

What I said was if Somalia was talking about sovereinity then UAE military base would be the highest question of sovereinity more than port services, but SFG did not raise this issue as important. That was my point.

5 hours ago, Tillamook said:

OO, what’s this? What ever happened to the tri-partite agreement that you were supporting a week ago? Are we now back to calling the Emirates, “Bedawin” now their true intent is obvious.

As for the port agreement here is the main point where all my views are influenced by:

1. Berbera has more economic benefits to Kilil even much bigger than the Djibouti Ethiopia line

2. It does not affect the Djibouti Ethiopia agreement in anyway it actually complements it

3. I would not have liked Ethiopia to own share, simply for the irridentists use in political hate campaign on Ethiopia, but Ethiopia also cannot use Berbera significantly without having ownership. That is the deal with Djibouti done some 20 years ago.

4. If similar deal was done with Puntland would even have most impact on Kilil economy and development since the transaction will affect the whole kilil from south to north.

I hope you are now clear as to the basis on how I Tigray see these commercial and the base issue separately. For me they are completely separate. For UAE and Somailand maybe connected or related. I am absolutely sure UAE has made arrangements with Ethiopia for its military base plans as did all countries that have bases in Djibouti or Somalia.

I am also not that influenced or affected by the sovereinity issue of the port agreement. I see some hipocrisy there, plus something extra to prevent Puntland. But that is Politics in Somalia. Has been like that since 90s, nothing new. That is one reason Kismayu has been out of development at least since 2006 where there was opportuity that could have helped with peace and development in the area.

The Berbera port agreement as far as I am concerned is commercial. I understand you feel its Ethiopian conspiracy to prevent Somalia from reconsituting itself, to keep Somalia disunited, conflicting, fighting etc, that is your view. Mine is everything opposite.