Somalia Rejects UAE Claim of Existing MoU on Berbera Port Deal

On 21 April 2018, Somalia dismissed claims by the United Arab Emirates that the two countries had previously entered into an agreement regarding the Berbera port concession, according to a Goobjoog News report that day.

Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Awad said in a television interview that the Federal Government had not seen or received any agreement or contract. "We do not have any contract. If there was any contract or agreement in the name of Somali government then we would not have filed any complaints and Somalia would have respected it," Awad said, as quoted by Goobjoog News.

The UAE's state minister Anwar Gargash told Goobjoog News that both countries had signed a Memorandum of Understanding on development and humanitarian support in Somaliland. "We had a memorandum of understanding with the former government and it was very clear," Gargash said. He added: "We did not have a consulate or embassy in Somaliland so there was no formal relationship."

Awad responded that the UAE had not shown his government any contract entered into with the Federal Government. He noted an MoU can take different forms, possibly including a verbal agreement between two people. "If there is any contract or MOU, we are still waiting," Awad said.

The Goobjoog News report does not establish that the MoU described by Gargash is the same as the Berbera port concession, nor does it give a date, signatories, or specific terms for any claimed MoU.

Somaliland, for its part, maintained it signed agreements with the UAE on its own volition and did not need to consult the Federal Government, Goobjoog News reported.

In a separate interview with Reuters, Awad called on DP World to reconsider the concession agreement, particularly for Berbera port, since Somaliland claims to be independent from Somalia.

DP World said on Friday that construction in Berbera and Bosaso were on course, according to Goobjoog News. A DP World spokesman, quoted by Reuters, said both Puntland and Somaliland had urged DP World to expedite construction.

Goobjoog News also reported that P&O Ports, a subsidiary of DP World, acquired a 30-year concession in Puntland's Bosaso port the previous year, valued at $336 million. The report does not state the currency of that valuation or provide independent verification.