Somalia and Saudi Arabia Seal Defence Pact
Last update: February 9, 2026
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Deal highlights growing Gulf influence in the Horn of Africa amid regional rivalries.
Somalia on Monday signed a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia as the Horn of Africa increasingly becomes an arena for proxy competition among Gulf monarchies, particularly between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
The region, which sits between the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal along one of the world’s busiest trade routes, has drawn mounting strategic interest from Gulf states in recent years.
The agreement comes about six weeks after Israel recognised Somaliland, a self declared republic that broke away from Somalia in 1991 but is still considered by Mogadishu to be part of its territory.
Somali Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi and his Saudi counterpart Prince Khalid bin Salman signed what was described as a military cooperation agreement, according to a statement posted on X by the Somali defence ministry.
The ministry said the deal would strengthen defence and military cooperation between the two countries and cover several areas of shared interest.
In a separate post, Prince Khalid bin Salman said he had signed and witnessed the signing of several agreements on the sidelines of a military exhibition in Riyadh, without providing further details.
Regional tensions have been sharpened by accusations that the United Arab Emirates has been supplying arms to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, who have been fighting the Sudanese army since 2023 and are accused of mass abuses against civilians. Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied the allegations.
In Somaliland, the Emirati firm DP World has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in developing the deep water port of Berbera, which it operates with little involvement from the federal government in Mogadishu.
The port includes an airport that is reportedly under tight Emirati control, according to local sources.
Saudi Arabia, once a close ally of the UAE, has in recent years become an increasingly outspoken critic of Abu Dhabi, particularly over policy differences in Sudan and Yemen.
The two monarchies were allied in 2014 in the fight against Yemen’s Huthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, but relations have since deteriorated.
The split came into the open last month when Riyadh bombed what it said was a weapons shipment destined for Yemen and originating from the UAE.
