Somalia and Saudi Arabia agree to enhance military cooperation efforts

Somalia Signs Military Cooperation Agreement with Saudi Arabia

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on Monday between Somalia’s Minister of Defence Ahmed Moallim Fiqi and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, in Riyadh. The agreement aims to strengthen defence and military cooperation between the two countries.

The MOU includes multiple areas of common interest, serving the strategic interests of both parties, according to Somalia’s Ministry of Defence. No further details were provided by either country.

This comes weeks after Somalia signed a similar deal with Qatar, aimed at strengthening military ties and security collaboration. The pact with Qatar focuses on military training, expertise exchange, defence capability development, and enhanced security cooperation.

The agreement was announced amid growing tensions in the Horn of Africa region following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December. Somalia has warned that Israel plans to set up a military base in the breakaway region, which could be used to launch attacks on neighbouring countries.

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has stated that his country will not allow the establishment of an Israeli base in Somaliland and will confront any such move. The UAE had previously facilitated Israel’s recognition of Somaliland’s independence, leading Somalia to cancel all agreements with the Gulf state last month.

The move coincides with a deterioration in Saudi Arabian-Emirati relations, which erupted in December when Saudi forces bombed what Riyadh described as a UAE weapons shipment to the separatist Southern Transitional Council in Yemen. The UAE denied the allegations and has also been accused of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan.

Separately, Abu Dhabi has released a joint statement with the African Union pledging support for Somalia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, security, and stability.

Source: Al Jazeera