By Mohamoud Gaildon

The president of secessionist Somaliland’s recent trip to Israel and the fanfare surrounding it were remarkable for the physical absence of the indispensable facilitator: The United Arab Emirates. The many-years-long “under the radar” cooperation between Israel and Somaliland―as Isarel’s Defense Minister put it at a meeting with the president of Somaliland―could not have happened without the UAE’s heavy lifting. Predatory “partnerships” with not just Somaliland but also neighboring Puntland had brought Somalia’s entire 1,300-km-long coast on the Gulf of Aden under the UAE’s feet. The UAE is now sharing the spoils with Israel.

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December of 2025 threw the UAE’s machinations in Somalia into sharp relief, exposing the ugly truth behind the false façade of brotherly spirit. Soon after Isreal’s violation of Somalia’s sovereignty, the UAE refused to join condemnations of Israel. Prominent Emirati analysts and commentators, no doubt dancing to the beat of their government, erupted in brazen calls for Somalia’s breakup. And, perhaps to drive the point home, the UAE invited Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Irro) to the World Governments Summit held in Dubai in February 2026. These UAE stances and measures together with the known leverage it has over Somaliland lead to one and only one conclusion: The UAE was the entity that had paved the way for Israel to recognize Somaliland. Admittedly, it is difficult to decipher what is motivating the UAE in this regard, but so too is the ruinous Emirati action in Libya, Yemen, and Sudan.

The UAE hasn’t always been this wrecking ball in the Middle East and Africa. Before the death of longtime president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE was the picture of calm, benevolence, and steady leadership. A degree of Bedouin simplicity and pride lent the nation an aura of authenticity. And the avuncular face of Sheikh Zayed was a national symbol. From the Arab Spring onwards, though, a different UAE emerged: obsessed with fear of political openness, ready to project power overseas, ruthless in its quest to vanquish entities it sees as obstacles.

In 2011, the UAE joined NATO to oust Muammar Gaddafi of Libya then threw its weight behind a violent non-state actor: General Haftar. When General Haftar attacked Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord, the UAE backed him up with air power and heavy weapons in full violation of the UN arms embargo on Libya. In 2015, the UAE joined a Saudi-led coalition for intense military action against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Then, once again, the UAE betrayed the original mission and switched support to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), an organization striving to break up Yemen. And now, in Sudan, the world bears witness to the UAE’s dirty hand behind the world’s deadliest ongoing tragedy.

Ominously, of such Emirati abuse of vulnerable countries, there is no end in sight. Brimming with insatiable appetite, bursting energy, and endless cash, the UAE is on the march again. Target: Somalia, where the stage is set and conditions are ideal for manipulation by a predatory foreign government. The strategic location, the allure of precious minerals, fragile central authority, internal discord, corruptible leaders, all are there. This is Somalia where the UAE’s tested and honed modus operandi―Lavish smooching, bribery, the glitter of Dubai, and the treatment of men who are no more than regional governors with pomp and flair―finds fertile ground. Yes, Somalia is on the UAE’s chopping board. Except, this time, the UAE has a partner in crime: Israel.

The UAE having its way with Somalia has taken years to take shape. The introduction of Israel is only the latest chapter. It seems that about a decade and a half ago the UAE decided to bypass Somalia’s central government and deal directly with provincial administrations. In 2010, the UAE established Puntland Marine Police Force (PMPF) allegedly to combat piracy. In 2016 and 2017 Dubai Ports World (DP World) acquired 30-year concessions to take over, upgrade, and operate the Port of Berbera (Somaliland) and the Port of Bosaso (Puntland), both on the Gulf of Aden. Initial meek protestations from Somalia’s Federal Government often met with sharp sarcasm from DP World. Of note are former DP World CEO Sultan bin Sulayem’s disdainful statements which went so far as to openly, vigorously, and persistently campaign for the breakup of Somalia. Few if any believed the nowdisgraced former CEO―exposed in the Epstein Files―was out of line with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayid (MBZ).

Port acquisition per se may or may not present a threat to Somalia’s sovereignty. In the light of unauthorized “security partnerships” with rogue provincial administrations, however, UAE involvement in Somalia takes on a sinister aspect. “Security partnership” with both Somaliland and Puntland is an innocuous term hiding a lot. What the UAE essentially does is train and equip clan militias totally independent of Somalia’s central authority, a sure way to keep Somalia divided and in disarray. More critical still are the UAE’s military bases at Bosaso of Puntland and Berbera of Somaliland. Both UAE bases are widely reported to have been heavily utilized for direct military action against government forces in Sudan. These bases and all associated naval facilities are now available to Isarel. The stage, therefore, is set for an Israel-UAE alliance in control of the entire Somalia coast on the Gulf of Aden. And it is this very grand scheme that may very well drag Somalia into protracted regional conflict and fragmentation.

It is a custom of predatory foreign powers to pour gasoline on local conflicts, which is exactly what Israel is now doing in Somalia. Israel cannot possibly be oblivious of the simple fact that Somaliland is seeking recognition of statehood for territories and populations it is incapable of bringing under control. A brief review of recent history sheds light on this rather pertinent reality. The year 2023 saw an eruption of conflict in and around the city of Las Anod between Somaliland forces and the local population. In June, 2023, the Security Council called for the “immediate withdrawal of ‘Somaliland’ security forces.” Somaliland continued to bombard the city in flagrant defiance of the Security Council. The result was the defeat of Somaliland’s army by the local community and the central government of Somalia’s establishment of a new Federal Member State named North East State over a wide territory Somaliland falsely claims. Here is where a combustible mix of foreign and local interests can collide and ignite a conflict of a similar scale and nature as those the UAE chooses to fuel elsewhere.

Somalia’s coveted Gulf of Aden Coast includes a roughly 200-Km-long unadministered segment between Somaliland and Puntland. Known as Maakhir Coast, this territory, de jure part of the newly-established North East State, is claimed by both Puntland and Somaliland. Erstwhile territorial contest between Somaliland and Puntland has now vanished. Initially instrumental in the defeat of Somaliland in and around Las Anod, President Said Abdullahi Deni of Puntland has since shifted course. At the behest of the UAE and, perhaps, Israel, Puntland now seems to be making common cause with separatist Somaliland for the purpose of squeezing the North East State out of existence. This common purpose of Somaliland and Puntland is in direct alignment with the agenda of the Israel-UAE axis: control of Somalia’s Gulf of Aden coast in its entirety. Somaliland’s effort to capture territory it claims, therefore, will most likely find support in the larger framework of the Israel-UAE design for the region.

Indications of Israel becoming embroiled in Somalia’s local conflict are already trickling out. According to one Daily Telegraph report back in May of 2026, “about 50 members of the Somaliland special operations forces have reached advanced stages of military training in Tel Aviv.” Left unchallenged, Israeli and Emirati interventionist action in Somalia will not only unleash monumental human toll but will also drastically reshape the balance of power in the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea in favor of the Zionist entity.

As the UN-recognized legal authority, the Federal Government of Somalia has taken some initial steps to safeguard Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Soon after Israel recognized Somaliland, Somalia issued a fierce condemnation, submitted a complaint to the UN Security Council, and mobilized organizations of which it is a member as well as friendly countries like Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Egypt. Most pointedly, Somalia annulled all agreements with the UAE, a measure tellingly rejected by Somaliland and Puntland. These steps by Somalia are good and commendable, but it will take a lot more to foil and repulse the perilous venture of the Israel-UAE axis.

The Federal Government of Somalia must assert itself in the territory of the North East State it recently rightfully created and establish a credible presence along Maakhir Coast. Talk of discussions along these lines between Somalia and Türkiye for a Turkish military base at Laasqoray on Maakhir Coast is circulating. As of yet, however, no concrete action has materialized.

Israel acquiring Somalia’s Gulf of Aden Coast without firing a single shot will, if left unchallenged, be a major breakthrough for Israel. And Israel will have the UAE to thank for it. The Zionist agenda for the Gulf of Aden relies heavily on powerful UAE leverage over Somaliland and Puntland. It is an arrangement tantalizingly tempting to Israel, allowing it to operate under cover. Israel needs the UAE for cover. Much of Israeli operations outside of its borders are done under cover. Without the UAE, Israel cannot realize its goals in Somaliland or Puntland, especially under the current world-wide anti-Israel sentiment. The United Arab Emirates is Israel’s Trojan horse. The United Arab Emirates must be stopped before it is too late.

Mohamoud Gaildon
Email: mgaildon@aol.com
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Gaildon  is a Somali-American medical physicist. He is now a senior medical physicist with OSF HealthCare, Illinois. Mr. Gaildon is also a public speaker, political analyst, and the author of a novel, The Yibir of Las Burgabo.