Which way for Somalia in Saudi-Canada row?
By T. RobleSomalia has weighed in into the Saudi-Arabia-Canada diplomatic row declaring its support for the Saudi Kingdom contrary to its neutrality stance on foreign diplomatic tussles.
In a statement Wednesday, Foreign Affairs ministry said its stand was unequivocal in support of Saudi Arabia in a dispute which has seen the latter recall 7,000 of its students on scholarhsip programme in Canada.
“The Federal Republic of Somalia makes clear that it supports its brotherly Saudi Arabia’s decision against Foreign interference in its internal affairs,” the statement read in part.
Both Canada and Saudi Arabia provide bilateral support to Somalia through budget injection and humanitarian aid. According to a statement in the Canadian High Commission to Kenya website, trade between Somalia and Canada totaled $6.7 million in 2017. Canada provided $29 million to address conflict- and drought-related humanitarian needs in Somalia in 2017 and announced an additional $18 million humanitarian support in April for 2018.
Saudi Arabia on the other hand is a major donor to Somalia mainly through direct budget injection. In the 2018 National Budget, Somali government factored in a $32 million injection from Saudi Arabia.
Somalia declared it would observe a neutral stance following the onset of the Gulf Crisis last June but the Federal Government found itself isolated after most of the Federal Member States declared allegiance to the Saudi-UAE axis. The move by Mogadishu irked Riyadh and its close ally United Arab Emirates both of which decided to hold back their purses for Somalia national budget in 2017.
What started as a Twitter post by Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland urging Riyadh’s release of an activist has spiraled into a full diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia expelling Canada’s ambassador in Riyadh and severing diplomatic ties.
Somalia becomes one of the few countries if any to declare a stance in the ongoing row between Saudi Arabia and Canada.
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