Rethinking Saudi and UAE foreign policy in Somalia in the era of new leaders

Document Type : Original Article

Author

• Najmiyeh PourEsmaeili

Asistant Professor, Department of Political Studies, Center for African Studies, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22067/irlip.2025.92438.1641

Abstract

Somalia’s strategic location has given it a vital geopolitical position in the region, bridging the sea routes between Africa and West Asia. This position has given Somalia a special significance in the foreign policy of the UAE and Saudi Arabia. An examination of the UAE’s and Saudi Arabia’s interests in Somalia reveals a complex interplay of geopolitical strategies, economic investments, security concerns, and regional rivalries. This analysis is essential not only to understand the motivations behind the Gulf states’ actions, but also to predict their long-term impact on stability and development in the Horn of Africa. This research seeks to answer the question of why (or for what purpose) Saudi Arabia and the UAE are undertaking a wide range of actions in Somalia in the political, security-military, economic, and cultural spheres. In response to this hypothesis, it is tested that: All the actions of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the four areas mentioned are ultimately aimed at maintaining the political system in Somalia, which leads to the establishment and promotion of peace and stability in the region and ultimately focuses on sustainable development. In other words, maintaining the political system helps to establish peace and stability in the region, which ultimately acts as a basis for sustainable development, and these three goals create a virtuous cycle that continuously reinforces each other. The method used in this research is a comparative study of the actions and goals of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in relation to Somalia.

Keywords

• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• Somalia
• sustainable development
• peace and stability

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