# UAE Military Base in Berbera to Be Converted into Civilian Airport

> Somaliland president says Berbera airport being built by UAE as military base will become public civilian airport; UAE has not confirmed.

- 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: roads, drainage
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/uae-military-base-berbera-civilian-airport

## Key points

- On 15 September 2019, Somaliland Standard reported that the UAE no longer plans to establish a military airport in Somaliland.
- President Muse Bihi Abdi said the Berbera airport being built by the UAE, designed as a military base, will become a public civilian airport.
- The report does not establish whether the UAE confirmed the change or what actions have been taken since the announcement.

On 15 September 2019, Somaliland Standard reported that the United Arab Emirates no longer plans to establish a military airport in Somaliland. The report, citing a Saturday announcement by President Muse Bihi Abdi, said that the facility under construction would instead become a civilian airport. However, the report did not establish whether the UAE officially confirmed the change or what specific actions have been taken since the announcement.

## The announcement

“The Berbera airport which was being built by the UAE and designed to be a military base will become a public airport for civilians,” President Muse Bihi Abdi said, according to the Somaliland Standard report. UAE officials did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment, the report added.

## Background of the Berbera base

The UAE began construction of the base in 2017 in the port city of Berbera. Under the terms of the deal, the UAE was to have a presence at the base for 30 years, Somaliland Standard reported. Somaliland said that the UAE would train its military as part of the agreement to host the base.

## Regional context

Berbera is less than 300 km (190 miles) south of war-torn Yemen, where UAE troops have been fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi group since 2015 as part of a Saudi-backed coalition. In June 2019, the UAE scaled down its military presence in Yemen amid tensions with Iran and Western criticism of the war, the report noted.

> **Note:** The Somaliland Standard report does not state the current construction status of the airport, the timeline for conversion, or whether the UAE has officially agreed to the change.

## Questions

### Who announced the conversion of the Berbera airport to civilian use?

Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi announced on Saturday that the Berbera airport being built by the UAE, designed as a military base, will become a public civilian airport.

### Has the UAE confirmed the change from military to civilian airport?

As of the 15 September 2019 report by Somaliland Standard, UAE officials had not responded to a request for comment, and no official confirmation had been reported.

## Sources

- [Somaliland UAE military base to be turned into civilian airport](https://somalilandstandard.com/somaliland-uae-military-base-to-be-turned-into-civilian-airport/) — Somaliland Standard, 2019-09-15