Somalia PM arrives in UAE as court refuses to wire back $9.6M to Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble on Sunday arrived in the United Arab Emirates [UAE] where he's expected to hold bilateral talks with the country's leadership amid ongoing elections in Somalia.

State media reported that Roble, who has been at loggerheads with outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, will specifically concentrate on strengthening the bilateral relationship between Mogadishu and Abu Dhabi which has been strained since 2018.

Under Farmaajo's leadership, the Emiratis have been cautious while working with Somalia, whose major focus has been Qatar, a traditional rival of UAE within the Arab League nations for several years now.

Throughout Farmaajo's period in office, UAE has been working closely with Somalia's opposition leaders, further creating a rift with Mogadishu. The opposition in Somalia also has a soft spot on PM Mohamed Hussein Roble.

Earlier this month, the PM controversially apologized to UAE over the 2018 seizure of $9.6M from emirate diplomats and ordered the money returned to UAE, only to be opposed by President Farmaajo. The money had been dispatched to help pay salary arrears to Somali National Army [SNA].

But even as PM Roble flew to UAE, a Benadir Regional Court ordered the Governor of the Central Bank and the Minister of Finance not to release $9.6 million seized at Mogadishu airport in April 2018 from UAE until the investigation is completed.

This further shows that Farmaajo is not ready to let the money get back to the United Arab Emirates despite Roble's goodwill. Despite the standoff, UAE has been trying to regain its influence in the country, where its rival, Qatar dominated for the past 5 years.

GAROWE ONLINE