Impact of the UAE, Ethiopia and Eritrea meeting on Somalia

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki were honoured with the UAE’s highest civil honour when the former rivals met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, conferred the Order of Zayed on both leaders at the Presidential Palace in the capital.

The peace move underlines the strategic importance of the Horn of Africa, which the UAE has heavily invested resources in but which remains volatile, particularly in Somalia.

Ahmed Abdirizack Qamsa a Somali scholar who has spent much of the regional affairs in the region and said: “that Somalia and Djibouti could have a hugely significant economic impact in the new relationship between the Eritrea and Ethiopia supporting by the UAE.”

He pointed out that the Horn Africa regions are recovering from their diplomatic relations but still Somalia is struggling with the collapse of 1991.

In recent months a diplomatic dispute between the UAE and Somalia has spilt after the Dubai-based DP World gave Ethiopia a 19% stake in the Berbera port in breakaway Somaliland – whose independence is not recognised by Mogadishu.

Members of parliament of Somalia, which also has a history of animosity with Ethiopia, adopted a resolution accusing the company of having “intentionally violated the sovereignty of Somalia”.

The UAE has been running a military camp in Mogadishu where it trains Somali soldiers, who are also paid by Emirate officials.

UAE needs to invest in agriculture and livestock, and the Horn of Africa has one of the largest livestock populations in the World. It also exports leather goods, oilseeds, minerals, agricultural products.

UAE could help in ensuring that these trends in the Horn of Africa lead to positive developments of mutual benefits. The Horn of Africa could benefit immensely from business and investment opportunities in the UAE.

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