Port Dispute May Destabilize Horn of Africa, Minister Says
- Somalia has declared Somaliland’s plans to build port illegal
- U.A.E. establishing air force, naval bases in Somaliland
Berbera port in Somaliland
Photographer: The Washington Post via Getty Images
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A budding dispute over plans to develop a port in Somaliland risks destabilizing the Horn of Africa region, the semi-autonomous territory’s foreign minister said.
Saad Ali Shire’s comments raise the stakes in a standoff between Somaliland and Somalia, which this month declared the planned harbor illegal. The impasse could also jeopardize Ethiopia’s bid to reduce its reliance on neighboring Djibouti as its main trade route through the Red Sea and the United Arab Emirates’ plans to extend its military influence in the region.