Former Somali President denies having a political relationship with UAE

Thursday July 9, 2026

Mogadishu (HOL) — Former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has denied allegations that he and other opposition politicians receive political or financial support from the United Arab Emirates, saying his ties to the Gulf country are personal.

In an interview this week, Sharif said he has lived in the UAE for nearly a decade with his family but does not have a political relationship with the Abu Dhabi government.

“My family and I were welcomed, and I am grateful for that,” Sharif said. “But we do not have a political relationship.”

Sharif said President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has also maintained close ties with the UAE and that Somalia’s federal government has received security and financial support from Abu Dhabi in recent years.

He described the UAE as one of the Arab states that has long supported Somalia, including through development projects, security assistance and financial support that successive Somali governments have benefited from.

Sharif criticized what he called a shift in the federal government’s rhetoric toward the UAE, saying it was not in Somalia’s interest to accuse a country that had previously supported it.

“Somalia should understand how international relations work and how conflicts are managed, instead of resorting to constant accusations,” he said.

The federal government has previously accused foreign countries, including the UAE, of interference and alleged support for some opposition politicians and regional states.

In January 2026, Somalia severed all agreements with the UAE, annulling deals covering port operations, security cooperation and defense.

Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said at the time that the decision was based on “reliable reports and evidence indicating practices linked to the United Arab Emirates that undermine the sovereignty of the Somali Republic, its national unity and political independence.”

Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has become a key hub for Emirati commercial and security investment over the past decade, including a 30-year concession at Berbera port held by UAE-based DP World.

A government source close to the decision said Mogadishu was angered by what it viewed as the UAE’s growing influence in Somalia’s breakaway and autonomous regions.

Somalia’s federal government maintains that Somaliland remains part of the Federal Republic of Somalia, while Somaliland has its own institutions but lacks broad international recognition.