Somalia on Sunday condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Gulf states while excluding the UAE in its statement.
The Somali government said in a statement that it affirms full support for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, and Oman, backing their legal measures to defend sovereignty and protect citizens.
The statement, however, did not include the UAE among the countries with which it expressed solidarity.
Iran faced widespread criticism from several Muslim-majority countries as well as non-governmental and religious organizations after it carried out retaliatory strikes on US and Israeli military bases located in several Muslim neighboring nations on Saturday, following the US-Israel attacks on Tehran in which its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was also killed.
UAE-Somalia Ties
Somalia has had strained diplomatic and security ties with the United Arab Emirates. According to regional analyses, Somalia canceled defence, security and port cooperation agreements with the UAE earlier this year, accusing Abu Dhabi of undermining its sovereignty and political independence.
The ties strained after Israel recognized Somaliland as an independent state. Following this, Somalia withdrew from all agreements with the UAE, including major ports in Berbera and Bosaso, which have yet to be implemented.
In January2026, Somalia, a country in East Africa, annulled its agreements with the UAE due to actions perceived as severe violations of its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national unity.
The decision was triggered by the UAE’s alleged facilitation of Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland. Somalia has also accused the UAE of taking “hostile and destabilizing actions” in Yemen, including using Somali airspace for a Yemeni separatist without leader permission.
The UAE has been accused of enabling Israel to recognize the separatist region of Somaliland, a direct affront to Somalia’s unity.
Somalia vs Somaliland?
Somalia is an internationally recognized federal republic in the Horn of Africa, formed in 1960. Somaliland is a self-declared, de facto independent state located in the northwestern part of Somalia that broke away in 1991 following a civil war, but lacks formal international recognition.
Somaliland is located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, Ethiopia to the south and west, and Somalia to the east. Its claimed territory covers 176,120 square kilometers (68,000 sq mi) and has approximately 6.2 million people as of 2024. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa.
What’s the latest on Iran?
Iran’s top national security official has ruled out renewed negotiations with Washington, sharply escalating rhetoric as military confrontation between Iran, the United States and Israel widens across the Middle East.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, dismissed reports of diplomatic outreach and accused President Donald Trump of driving regional instability through what he described as “delusional actions”.
