MOGADISHU -– The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain decried the seizure of $9.6 million from a UAE-registered civilian jet that landed at Aden Abdulla International Airport in the nation’s capital.
In a statement, the UAE’s foreign ministry said 47 UAE armed forces personnel on board the plane were held at gunpoint and assaulted by Somali security forces on Sunday, and that “sizeable cash funds” allocated for the Somali army and trainees were seized.
Somalia and UAE have in Nov. 2014 signed a Memorandum of Understanding on military cooperation.
“This action,” said the statement, “contradicts the established diplomatic norms and traditions between countries, is a serious breach of the provisions of the said Memorandum of Understanding, and thus transgresses the rules of international law and norms.”
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khalid Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa has also denounced Somalia’s action, reminding Somalia of UAE’s longstanding support for Horn of Africa nation.
“The United Arab Emirates held several conferences to support Somalia, in the presence of the Somali President. And stood with Somalia against the pirates and did all the duty and provided all support with money, arms and medicine,” Al Khalifa tweeted on Wednesday.
But, he added: “Somalia has only responded with denial, abuse and to throw (itself) into the arms of enemy of the Ummah,” a statement which mainly alludes to Iran and its allies, like Qatar.
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khalid Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa
Somali twitter users have strongly reacted to the ministers’ statements, roasting them online.
“The UAE didn’t respect the sovereignty of Somalia and the international conventions it has signed to respect (Somalia’s) borders and sovereignty,” wrote @hibashookari, who identifies herself as a doctor and Somali activist.
She accused the UAE of signing deals with “a separatist entity outside the legal framework.”
She said UAE shouldn’t expect praise from Somalis when it’s “tearing my country apart.”
On Sunday, Somali officials said they seized three, unmarked bags teeming with millions of dollars.
According to the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations, “packages constituting the diplomatic bag must bear visible external marks of their character and may contain only diplomatic documents or articles intended for official use.”
The UAE has been providing training and other assistance to the Somali military since the two Arab League member states signed an MOU in 2014, but on Sunday Somali officials said UAE officials failed to disclose the content of the bags.
The Foreign Ministry deplored Somalia’s action, saying that the UAE provided “all kinds of political, economic, military and humanitarian support in the most dire circumstances to establish security and stability in the Somali Federal Republic.”
The UAE also called Somalia’s action a “violation of international law and norms,” without citing any specific article Somalia violated during the standoff.
Somalia said security agents abused no one during the operation at the airport.
The UAE State Minister for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash has also weighed in on the matter, accusing Somalia of violating the MOU it signed with UAE and of “creating unnecessary tensions with a friend and ally” who stood with Mogadishu “in the darkest circumstances.”
Gargash, however, urged prudence.
“We call for wisdom and reason,”said Anwar Gargash
@Salim8Said, a Somali twitter user in Garowe, the capital of the northeastern Somali region, responded to Gargash’s tweet.
“My brother # Gargash , when you use the right channel and respect the sovereignty of Somalia, You’re welcome, but when you support terrorism and practice money laundering to strike at the unity and security of Somalia, the covenant between us and you is fire and gunpowder. We’re patient and tolerant. You shouldn’t be duped by wealth. Money does not give you men on the battle fronts,” tweeted @Salim8Said, whose full name is Salim Said Salim and says he is a senior lecturer in public law, freelance researcher and legal advisor.