Somalia Ends Military training Agreement with UAE, Plans to Integrate UAE trained soldiers into SNA

Minister of Defence Mohamed Mursal Abdirahman (file photo)
MOGADISHU (Horn Observer) Somalia’s defense Minister Mohamed Mursal Sheik Abdirahman said on Wednesday that Somalia government will fully take over the soldiers trained by the UAE and that their plan have been put in place, ending the military training agreement with United Arab Emirates, Sonna reported.
“Somalia government has responsibility on all the army and that the plans of the UAE trained soldiers have been prepared.” Minister Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman told the state run news agency SONNA, “Their salaries, wages and numbers have been prepared and will be distributed to the various military of the Somali army.

On Sunday, Somalia’s airport security seized 9.6 million dollars from UAE plane and said that it still investigating where the money was heading. However, UAE condemned the move in which Somalia government seized the money by saying that the money was salaries and wages for the UAE trained Somali soldiers.

Many analysts believe that the UAE relations with Somalia would further worsen and could have serious security implications as the Somali government would be unable to pay those army at the salary rates paid by UAE and thus could create security lapses.’

Somalia has been seriously hit by the gulf crisis after it rejected to cut ties with Qatar.

– Horn Observer –