As Somali public criticism of the UAE presence in Somalia increases, and the Somali people learn of the extensive losses and national damage the presence of the UAE military has caused in Yemen and is now causing havoc in Libya and Sudan, Somali politicians are now joining the public stance and are for the first time speaking out against the presence of the UAE in Somalia. MP Abdullahi Kulane, Somalia’s former Deputy Chief of Staff is one of them.
MP Kulane, while extending condolences to all the lives lost, “including foreign citizens and the Somali troops whose deaths, unfortunately, have gone unacknowledged,” has also a sent a stern warning to the the Emirati people. On his X, the MP posted, “it was wrong for their men [slain UAE army officers] to be in Somalia in the first place.”
MP Kulane also called into the question the legality of the UAE presence in Somalia, and called it a one sided agreement and only with President Hassan Sheikh. He tells the Emiratis that “The agreement between the UAE and Somalia Executive branch of the government did not go through proper channels, and it was not ratified by parliament to authorize the presence of Emirati troops in our country.”
The MP also stated that there is no inherent national interest in the presence of the UAE in Somalia. He wrote that “The reasons for the Emiratis being in Somalia were personal, aimed at enriching a few individuals and serving a mercenary agenda.”
Calling the death of the Emirati officers in Somalia a death in vain and that “The Emirati people should understand that their compatriots shouldn’t have died, and their leader Mohamed Bin Zayed
shouldn’t have neglected them in this manner.”
MP Kulane then directly addresses the Somali people and reminds them that Somalia is being turned into a mercenary playground and that “the presence of unauthorized foreign troops, including those from the UAE and Bahrain, in our country raises concerns, especially since they are reportedly training soldiers who are not technically part of the SNA and are not on the government payroll, their mission remains unknown.”
MP Kulane finally accuses President Hassan Sheikh of being complicit through neglect, as the President after so many attacks against the army has yet to lift a finger. He writes, “the government took no action to address the internal failures. With no consequences from such attacks, we expected Gordan attack and similar incident in the future.”
Daljir Media | Daljir Staff in Garoowe and Mogadishu
COMMENTS