# Somaliland warned Somalia to keep off Berbera port work

> Somaliland warned Somalia to keep off DP World's Berbera port development, as both sides disputed the UAE firm's role in June 2020.

- By: Editorial Team, Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com/about)
- Published: 30 September 2026
- Format: News story (reported from one named public source)
- Publication: Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com)
- Subject: Infrastructure and Services
- Tags: ports, utilities
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/somaliland-warns-somalia-berbera-port

## Key points

- On 13 June 2020, Goobjoog News reported Somaliland's warning to Somalia against interfering with DP World's Berbera port work.
- Somalia's foreign minister accused DP World of internal interference, while Somaliland said Somalia had no moral authority to intervene.
- The report does not establish what has happened at the port since that date.

On 13 June 2020, Goobjoog News reported that Somaliland had warned Somalia to keep off DP World's developments at Berbera port. The warning came after Somalia's foreign minister accused the UAE company of internal interference and described its operations in Somaliland as a danger to Somalia's territory, according to the report.

Somaliland, which declared independence in 1991 but remains internationally unrecognised, said Somalia had no moral authority to interfere with the expansion of the Berbera Port or the building of the Berbera corridor by the UAE firm, Goobjoog News reported. The report did not name the Somaliland official who issued the warning or specify how it was delivered.

Somalia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Isse Awad, had accused DP World of internal interference, Goobjoog News reported. The report did not include the full text of his message or say whether DP World or the UAE had responded.

At the time, the first phase of the Berbera Port expansion was ready to be finalised in 2020, according to Amb. Barkhad Mohamoud Kaariye in an interview with The Ethiopian Herald cited by Goobjoog News. Kaariye said the multi-purpose project was worth a total of USD 442 million. He also said the tripartite investment agreement gave Ethiopia a 19 percent stake, DP World 51 percent, and Somaliland 30 percent.

A multi-million economic free zone was planned in Berbera to boost the port's function, Kaariye said, according to Goobjoog News. The report did not state the zone's cost, timeline, or construction status.

Goobjoog News also reported that reconciliation efforts between Somaliland and Somalia, pushed by the international community and the United Nations, had produced no results. The report does not establish what has happened at the port, the corridor, or the free zone since 13 June 2020.

## Questions

### What are the current disputes over Berbera Port?

As of 13 June 2020, Somaliland warned Somalia to keep off DP World's developments. Somalia's foreign minister accused DP World of internal interference, and Somaliland said Somalia had no moral authority to intervene. No later developments are established in the report.

### What is the status of DP World's construction work?

The first phase expansion was ready to be finalised in 2020, according to Amb. Barkhad Mohamoud Kaariye. The report does not confirm any subsequent progress.

### How could political tensions affect the port project?

The report does not establish any direct impact. It notes that reconciliation between Somaliland and Somalia had produced no results as of June 2020.

## Sources

- [Somaliland: Somalia to avoid encroaching DP World work at Berbera Port](https://en.goobjoog.com/somaliland-somalia-to-avoid-encroaching-dp-world-work-at-berbera-port/) — Goobjoog News, 2020-06-13