In brief
- On 2017-09-02, Somaliland Sun published a report by Ahmed A. Abdi citing UAE activities in Somaliland, including a reported base at Berbera port.
- The report contained no confirmed evidence of subsequent infrastructure developments or investments.
- All claims are attributed to the report, which relied on 'reportedly' statements without independent documentation.
On 2 September 2017, Somaliland Sun published a piece titled "Somaliland: UAE Strategic Power Projection in Somaliland" by Ahmed A. Abdi of the Center for Somaliland Political Progress. The report described a range of reported and claimed UAE military and financial activities across the Horn of Africa, with direct relevance to the port of Berbera and the surrounding infrastructure environment.
According to the report, the UAE "reportedly has established a base at the port of Berbera, in the breakaway region of Somaliland, triggering a legal complaint from the government of Somalia in February 2017." The legal complaint is not identified by forum, document, or specific date beyond the month. The report did not provide independent confirmation of the base; it was stated as a reported fact.
The article also claimed that in mid-2015 the UAE opened "a new center at which a few hundred UAE Special Forces train Somali commandos" in Somalia, without naming the location or exact numbers. It said UAE forces initially deployed to Djibouti in 2015 to support the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, before a mid-2015 UAE-Djibouti dispute caused a shift to facilities in Eritrea, in exchange for UAE and Saudi funding of upgrades. The report said the UAE now trains pro-government Yemeni forces at a facility in Eritrea, but gave no facility name, location, or scope of upgrades.
The report further stated that the UAE "reportedly provided funds to try to influence the outcome of Somalia's presidential elections that were held in February 2017." It gave no amount, currency, or recipient. It also claimed UAE firms made "substantial infrastructure investments" elsewhere in East Africa, but identified no firms, projects, values, or locations.
The author asserted that the UAE has forged military basing agreements with and support for friendly leaders and factions in several East African countries, and that it used its financial and military assets to project power in support of operations in Yemen and against Iranian influence. No specific agreements, parties, assets, or figures were named.
Nothing in the 2 September 2017 report establishes what occurred after that date. It contains no construction milestones, no tender notices, no contract awards, and no verified investment data. The article was an attributed opinion piece by an external author, not a news report by Somaliland Sun.
The 2 September 2017 report is the sole source for this article. No independent confirmation of the Berbera base, the legal complaint, the training center, or any infrastructure investment has been published by SCR.