File Photo/Somali Times
Eritrea President Isaias Afwerki has made an unprecedented on the UAE, it of blatantly fomenting conflicts between Somalia and Sudan as part of an “unfulfilled ambition” to build a “port empire” across the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.
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In a candid interview published by Eritrea’s Ministry of Information, the long-serving leader questioned the motives behind Abu Dhabi’s aggressive foreign policy. “The big question is: Why the UAE? This is particularly worrying for us now. Why is the UAE doing this? No one can understand it.”
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The direct and detailed allegations reflect a sharp deterioration in relations between the two former allies, who have been closely cooperating in the Yemen war, during which the UAE has been using the Eritrean port of Assab as a key military base.
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Afwerki has described the UAE as the central actor behind the regional turmoil. “People often point the finger at the UAE, saying that they are behind all this chaos. This is not something that needs proof,” he said, adding that the network of interference is vast. “One can take an example not only of what is happening in Libya, but also of what is happening in Chad, the Central African Republic, and Somalia.”
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‘Port empire’
A central pillar of Afwerki’s criticism is what he describes as the UAE-led ambition to control a vast network of ports to facilitate trade and security in the region.
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“If someone… is thinking of controlling the Suez Canal… of controlling Jeddah, Port Sudan, Hodeida, Djibouti, Casablanca, Aden, Berbera, Mogadishu, Mombasa, Lamu, and reaching as far as Dar es Salaam… how can anyone find a reasonable explanation for this ambition?” he asked.
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He argued that this expansionist policy was undermining the sovereignty of the countries in the region, questioning the substance of the development projects led by the UAE. “They claim to ‘develop ports’ but are these no-man’s land? Are there no governments? Are there no people living there who want to develop their investments, industries, and economic infrastructure?”
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Afwerki also said the UAE of using its vast wealth to “buy influence,” noting that humanitarian or environmental issues are used as pretexts for political activities.
“Billions of dollars are being spent on issues like ‘climate change’ to fund political parties here and there,” he alleged. “The billions that governments in this region receive from the UAE are endless.”
Somalia and Sudan
The president of Eritrea, who has led the Horn of Africa country since its independence in 1993, has singled out several conflicts in which he believes the UAE is involved.
In Sudan, he lamented that “unnecessary external interference has taken the matter out of the hands of the Sudanese people.” Reports by a UN panel of experts, which presented credible evidence that the UAE has been arming the Rapid Support Force (RSF).
Regarding Somalia, Afwerki directly questioned the UAE’s motives, asking, “What is the purpose of the intervention in Somalia? Why are they specifically exaggerating and campaigning for the Hargeisa administration North Somalia issue?”
This is a direct reference to the controversial port agreement between Ethiopia and the Hargeisa administration North Somalia region of , which the Somali government sees as a violation of its sovereignty. The UAE is a major investor in Berbera port.
He continued his accusation by saying that arms are flowing into Ethiopia, another regional power struggling with internal and external pressure.
“The drones that have been landing recently in Addis Ababa, Debre Zeyit, and Bahir Dar—where did they come from? Who are they bringing them to?” he asked the obvious question. “The weapons being dropped daily from large cargo planes is no secret. What is the purpose?”
‘A proxy for other parties’
Afwerki said the UAE is not an independent player, but rather an agent for foreign powers. “I would say that all these mistakes do not represent, in any way, the UAE. The UAE is acting as a proxy for other parties. This is very worrying. “he said