OPINION: UAE’s Proxy War in Sudan Risks Red Sea Security and Fuels Regional Instability
May 11, 2025
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May 14, 2025EXCLUSIVE: Proxy War on Somali Soil: The UAE’s Bosaso Hub, the Deni Regime, and the Shadow of Genocide in Sudan
While the UAE transforms Bosaso in northern Somalia into a covert military logistics center, Puntland President Said Deni’s role in this operation raises alarming questions about Somalia’s sovereignty. Young Somalis are being recruited into Sudan’s brutal civil war, and the Somali state is silently becoming complicit in crimes it did not authorize.
Anatomy of a Covert Operation in Somalia
Bosaso, one of the most strategic port cities in the Horn of Africa, is now the epicenter of a suspicious military buildup. Officially designated as a Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) training facility, the area has effectively become the heart of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) covert military operations in the region.
According to Somali security sources and regional diplomatic contacts:
- An Israeli-manufactured radar system has been installed in Bosaso. This system is reportedly used not only to monitor Somali territory but also to track air and ground movements in Sudan and Yemen.
- Hundreds of UAE cargo flights have used Somali airspace to deliver weapons, ammunition, and logistics to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
- Hundreds of Colombian mercenaries entered Bosaso without visas, carrying passports stamped by the UAE. These individuals are either training Somali recruits or being sent directly to Sudan’s front lines.
- Wounded RSF fighters are being treated at a UAE-run field hospital at Bosaso Airport. According to local sources, no Somali soldiers injured in anti-ISIS operations have been treated at this facility—priority is given exclusively to RSF militants.
- Young Somalis have been recruited through the PMPF and sent to fight alongside RSF in Sudan. Families are reporting missing sons, but no official response has been given.
The Deni Regime: Auctioning Somali Sovereignty
At the center of this dangerous network is Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni, who has bypassed Somalia’s federal government and Parliament to engage in unauthorized foreign security and military agreements — a direct violation of the Somali Constitution.
Sources say the UAE is funneling millions of dollars into Deni’s administration and is preparing to back him in Somalia’s upcoming national elections. The ultimate goal? To install Deni as president and transform Somalia into a permanent logistics base for the UAE’s foreign proxy wars.
The Bigger Picture: Is Somalia Becoming Complicit in Sudanese Genocide?
The RSF has been accused of committing war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity in Sudan. These atrocities have been documented by the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC). By enabling and supporting the RSF through Somali territory, Somalia risks becoming an accomplice in a genocide it did not authorize.
Deni’s actions not only undermine constitutional order but also jeopardize Somalia’s international credibility and legal standing.
A Call to Action: For the Somali People and the International Community
This silent occupation and proxy war must be stopped — not just as a political choice, but as a moral and legal obligation. The Somali people must speak out against a regime that has mortgaged their sovereignty, their youth, and their national future.
The international community can no longer afford to turn a blind eye. These covert operations are not only destabilizing Somalia but endangering the entire Horn of Africa.
