Dimensions of UAE’s role in providing security, humanitarian aid to Somalia

UAE’s efforts to provide security, humanitarian aid to Somalia

Mahmoud Gamal Abdel-Aal

It was no surprise that the United Arab Emirates would exert a humanitarian role in Somalia, which has been suffering famines and the lack and misuse of resources due to the absence of state authorities, leaving militias and non-state actors in control.

In this regard, UAE’s developmental, humanitarian and charitable aid reached more than 178 countries around the world since the establishment of the state in 1971 and until 2014[1].

UAE has become a leader in the provision of humanitarian aid; according to the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)[2], the UAE has maintained its ranking as one of the 10 largest donor states in the Official Development Aid (ODA).

On Apr. 8, the Somali government of Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo seized a UAE plane carrying Emirati citizens and confiscated money that was allocated to aid the Somali army[3]. Some 47 passengers were held at gunpoint and assaulted by Somali security forces.

This move, however, is deemed an eye-opener, especially in the light of Farmajo’s relations with Qatar, which have been growing since he was elected president in 2017.

This study firmly focuses on the UAE’s relations, touching on the humanitarian aids that the UAE provided to the Somali government to rebuild its state.

Determinants of the UAE policy in the humanitarian field:

The UAE’s determinants in the humanitarian field are not based on political orientations, geographic location, race, color or religion; these determinants, however, are primarily based on the needs of masses, reducing poverty rates, eliminating hunger, and founding developmental projects in cooperation with international organizations and governments of national states.

In 2014, the Emirati government founded the Committee for the Coordination of Humanitarian Foreign Aid to facilitate, oversee and coordinate the country’s foreign humanitarian aid in cooperation with international and regional humanitarian organizations.

UAE’s aids to Somalia:

The Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation set the state policy for foreign assistance and the humanitarian field for 2017-2021[4], this strategy was structured on certain goals, such as building the state, providing solutions to achieve peace and stability, encountering poverty, and cooperating with the private sector to achieve sustainable development.

• Military and security aids:

The UAE Armed Forces organized a number of training courses that provided the Somali army with new recruits to join the war against terrorist groups and movements, such as Al-Shabaab, across the Horn of Africa.

The UAE also pays the salaries of 2407 Somali soldiers that are still under its supervision; it founded three training centers to boost the capabilities of security and military foundations in Somalia. It also coordinated with the African Union in training the maritime police forces in the Puntland region to combat terrorism and piracy in the Red Sea region[5].

During his visit to UAE’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahayan on Mar. 21, 2016, former Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud expressed his gratitude to the UAE for its aimful aids to support Somalia[6].

In light of the latest conflict between the two countries, the UAE has decided to end its military training program in Somalia, which started 2014, in response to the seizure of the plane.

The UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia Michael Keating also commended UAE’s efforts in Somalia, which highlights how important the role by the UAE in supporting Somalia’s stability and security[7].

Moreover, the UAE is considered on top of countries that send aids to Somalia, according to UAE Ambassador to Somalia Mohammed Ahmed Al Hammadi in Mogadishu[8].

In June 2015, the UAE government extended its support to Somali police forces to aid it in the fight against terrorist operations; the aid included nine armored vehicles, seven motorcycles, 10 SUVs, and a special armored car for the Somali minister of interior security, who considered this move as just an extension of UAE’s efforts in humanitarian and developmental projects[9].

• Humanitarian aids and developmental roles:

The humanitarian aids that the UAE extended to Somalia are based on certain foundations to guarantee the achievement of sustainable development; these foundations are based on enhancing the life of poor and marginalized communities, guaranteeing good education, relieving the suffering of human while preserving dignity during humanitarian crises.

According to the foreign aids report by the UAE foreign ministry, the UAE invested around $25.1 million in humanitarian works in Somalia in 2013; it provided assistance to 4624 orphans, provided medical aid to 5000 families suffering from malaria, and provided developmental humanitarian and charity aids[10].

In 2014, the UAE provided food aid to 500,000 Somali families. It also assisted digging wells and building hospitals.

The humanitarian aids and rescue activities represented 47.78% of the total UAE aids, while water and sanitation projects represented 19.9%, and health projects represented 6.4%[11].

In 2016, the UAE almost tripled its aids to Somalia in comparison to 2014; around $106.2 million was allocated to reconstruction projects, sustainable development projects and emergency, and $12.4 million was allocated to the food aid of Berbera.

On the other hand, the UAE also supported the budget of the central government in Mogadishu to cover the expenses; it also invested in the infrastructure of education, vocational training and health projects. It also constructed two schools, catering to nearly 1000 Somali students. Moreover, in 2015, the Sheikh Zayed Hospital was inaugurated in Mogadishu, it serves 300 patients per day for free[12].

In 2016, the UAE also allocated 10% of its total aids to Somalia to invest in renewable energy and digging wells, to limit the impact of dry seasons[13]. In this regard, the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation inaugurated an 11-metre high dam with an estimated capacity of 350,000 cubic meters.

It is pertinent to mention that the UAE provided medical equipment and support to help victims of a bomb attack in Mogadishu in the late 2017[14].

Here we can finally conclude that the UAE seeks to achieve stability and sustainable development in Somalia through its organizations; it allocated the biggest share of aids to Somalia to humanitarian fields and infrastructure projects. These aids reached around $106.2 million in 2016, compared to $23.6 million in 2011[15].

Therefore, it was shocking enough how the Somali government acted towards the Emirati plane, considering the amount of aid and support that the UAE provided to achieve stability in Somalia.

Infographics:

• The increase in UAE’s humanitarian support to Somalia, starting 2011 until 2016:
• 2011 ($23,7 million)
• 2012 ($22,8 million)
• 2013 ($25,1 million)
• 2014 ($35,6 million)
• 2016 ($106,2 million)

• UAE’s allocation of humanitarian aids in 2016 on facilities and various fields:
• Education and vocational training programs (25%)
• Health (19%)
• Supporting state budgets (17%)
• Food aids (12%)
• Water (10%)
• Others (17%)

• UAE aid to Somalia includes:
• Education and vocational training programs
• Military and security institutions support
• Health
• Water and sanitation
• Food aid
• Charity and social support
• Aid during emergencies and crises

[1] UAE government official web portal – https://goo.gl/7ZWyiS

[2] “The United Arab Emirates becomes the first Participant in the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC)”, Available at: https://goo.gl/UhNK65

[3] UAE protests against seizure of plane, cash by Somalia (10/4/2018), Reuters: https://goo.gl/Y3bAXs

[4] To see UAE’s 2017-2021 strategy in the humanitarian field see: UAE government official web portal – https://goo.gl/yMr9a9

[5] UAE stops training Somalia’s military (15/4/2018): http://wam.ae/ar/details/1395302682172

[6] Bin Zayed receives Somali president (31/3/2016): http://wam.ae/ar/details/1395293171201

[7] UN representative commends UAE efforts to support Somalia (11/4/2018): http://wam.ae/ar/details/1395302681162

[8] Same previous reference

[9] UAE provides military aids to Somali police (15/6/2015), Asharq Al-Awsat: https://goo.gl/wmQFzn

[10] United Arab Emirates Foreign Aid Report 2013, P.45, Available at:  https://goo.gl/Gwd5B9

[11] United Arab Emirates Foreign Aid Report 2014, P.41, Available at:  https://goo.gl/jTAhr3

[12] United Arab Emirates Foreign Aid Report 2016,  P.101 available at:  https://goo.gl/jit4oB

[13] Previous reference P.102

[14] UAE plane delivers medical supplies to Mogadishu (27/10/2017): https://goo.gl/J5WyfW

[15] United Arab Emirates Foreign Aid Report 2013, Op. Cit.