UAE Naval Base Deal Reported for Somaliland Berbera

On 13 February 2017, Goobjoog News reported that the United Arab Emirates will build and operate a military base in Somaliland for 25 years, following what it described as an overwhelming endorsement by the region's Parliament. The report said it had seen the terms of the agreement, which grant the Emirati government exclusive rights to a naval facility and airport at Berbera port.

Goobjoog News reported that the UAE military will construct a separate airport north of Berbera airport for its own use, and will also renovate and upgrade the existing Berbera airport for civilian use. The report cited a 30-year lease for Berbera port by the UAE's DP World agreed the previous year. It said the base will be used exclusively by the UAE military for the period of the lease.

Under the reported terms, the UAE will construct a road linking the port of Berbera to Wajaale, described as the Berbera Corridor, to the southwest of Berbera close to the border with Ethiopia. The Emirati government will also implement other socio-economic projects in Somaliland, including education, health and provision of electricity across Berbera city, according to Goobjoog News.

The report said Somaliland and the UAE agreed to jointly work to protect the security of the Somaliland strip in the Red Sea, and to conduct joint missions aimed at fighting piracy and any threat to stability and security of the region. It said the agreement provides for arbitration at the London Court of International Arbitration if disputes are unresolved within 30 days, and that neither party is liable and no compensation is advanced in the event of force majeure.

Goobjoog News reported opposition from the Wadani party, which questioned the legitimacy of the project in relation to Somaliland's sovereignty and national security. It said Lower House Speaker Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro criticised colleagues for endorsing a deal not openly debated in the House, citing the arrest of three lawmakers who had expressed displeasure over the agreement. The report said Mogadishu had remained silent on the matter, and that Foreign Affairs Minister Abdulsalam Omer gave a no comment response to a Goobjoog News query. The UAE embassy in Mogadishu said it would respond once the ambassador returned to the country.

Goobjoog News' account is the sole source of these terms, and it does not establish what has happened since 13 February 2017. The report gives no official agreement document, no vote count, date or chamber for the parliamentary endorsement, no cost, schedule or contractor for the airports or the Berbera Corridor road, and no details of the socio-economic projects. There is no evidence in the report that the naval base, the road or the airport renovation have been constructed or started.