a 30-year agreement in 2006 between Djibou and DP World, the company was supposed to operate the port at a maximum capacity. However, the Djibou administraon realized that the Doraleh Port has been operang with less than %50 of its full capacity. The Djibou government thus argued that DP World’s main movaon to keep Doraleh container terminal (port) at the lowest capacity was to sustain the maximum level of acvity at the Dubai port, the leading locaon of marime transport in the region3). The Djibou government also felt that UAE was using the deal in order to handicap and prevent the genuine development of Doraleh port instead it is a strategic game of overshadowing all red sea ports while shinning its Dubai ports globally which was in contrast to the true and honest leer of the contract in 2009. Djibouan government sees these protests as a proxy game by United Arab Emirates which has encouraged local opposion pares in creang and fermenng violent protests among the marginalized and indigent populaon of Djibou city; specially within Pres. Ghelle’s Essa clan in the suburbs and sub-urbanites. 3 ) DP(Dubai ports) world as UAE’s Foreign Policy Asset & Tool The United Arab Emirates has been busy taking control of all Red Sea ports on ( both banks ).At the same me, employing DP world as a financial and business projects thus encing commercial contracts from poor, under-development and war-torn horn of Africa and Red sea naons with vast amounts of money both legally (investments) and illegally through DP world and proxy’s. although ‘The Emirates insists that DP World is a private enterprise, but its acvies in the region move in lockstep with the country’s strategic interests.’ 4) Thus The Emirates uses DP World both as a global commercial enty and an asset and tool of its Foreign policy specially towards in the Middle East, Horn of Africa and Red Sea region since 2001. Since 2001(post 9/11) the United Arab Emirates embarked in playing the Geostrategical role of “Trojan Horse “ for Anglo-American corporate empire in the Middle East , Horn of Africa and strategically Marime routes of the Red Sea & Gulf of Aden. Where it is now acvely and connuously employing DP world in unsascvory, fake & unsustainable commercial projects with countries on Red sea and the enre HOA Red Sea and Gulf of Aden coastline. It is has already destroyed, balkanized using military means and local proxy’s in Yemen, sudan, Somalia and in pursuit for Djibou and Ethiopia. 4) UAE’s imperial Goepolical strategy of Balkanizaon Fragmentaon and Control of HOA, & Red Sea ccounteries in concert with western Empire The Emirates Geostragical for controlling the all HOA ports on the Red sea and the Gulf of Aden has been on the making since 9/11 and was polical, ideological, logiscally, diplomacally and militarily(tech.,) supported by both US and Europe specially UK, France, Germany, as well as Israel in enabling and encouraging to push and undertake these Geostracal goals via DP World.
The UAE has long been accused of aempng to annex the Yemeni island of Socotra to secure what it perceives to be its geopolical interests in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which it did by encouraging, founding and polically supporng the separaon of southern Yemen from the Houthi held north. It already has military and naval bases in Djibou, Eritrea and Somaliland. Conclusions As Rohan Advani wrote, the Emirates DP World is a large MN conglomerate- logiscs & Port facilies that funcons both as business enterprises and UAE’s Foreign Policy Powerhouse. The Emirates are using DP World as an instrument of their Imperial Geostrategic policy economically and polically in the HOA and Red Sea regions specially against week fragmented and war-torn countries of the region with full western empire support logiscally, militarily, diplomacally and polically. “It is clear that there are deepening tensions between the UAE and two strategic players in the Horn of Africa, namely Somalia and Djibou. It can be said that there are three major reasons for that. First of all, the UAE does not respect the naonal sovereignty of these countries and priorizes its interests even if they contradict with these countries’ naonal sovereignty. The second reason is related to the nature of the UAE acvies in the region. The Somalia and Djibou governments are not comfortable with the UAE-sponsored ports and military bases, mainly because of their long-term negave impacts on these countries. The final reason is that there are a number of emerging internaonal actors such as Turkey, Russia and China, which have developed good relaons with Somalia and Djibou. This has caused them to reconsider their relaons with aggressive actors in the region such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia.” 5). In Conclusion, The UAE using DP world is projecng imperial power in the Horn of Africa regions and Red Sea costal countries, by stealthily supporng local proxy’s and unsustainable commercial projects in order to regime change , balkanize, and fragment weak, under-developed and poverty stricken countries who have experienced extended civil wars and inter-tribal resources compeon. “A close look at its operaons in the Horn of Africa reveals the ways that a government can exert control through a modern state-chartered company. A closer look at the operaons of DP World also casts light on a key driver of disastrous state fragmentaon in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.”6) FootNotes: 1) Country Meters hps://countrymeters.info/en/Djibou(accessed july6, 2020) 2) For Somaliland and Djibou, will new friends bring Benefits? By Ma Kennard & Ismail Einanshe march 19, 2019 .hps://foreignpolicy.com/2019/03/19/somaliland-somalia-horn-of-africa- djibou-military-oil-uae-qatar-berbera-port/(acceseds July 11, 2020) 3) From cooperaon to conflict: The Deepening Crisis with Somalia and Djibou. By Isamail Numan Telci, april 26, 2018. hps://policstoday.org/from-cooperaon-to-conflict-the-uaes-deepening- crisis-with-somalia-and-djibou/
4) Construcng Commercial Empire: The United Arab Emirates in the Red Sea and The Horn by Rohan Advani , TCF; December 9, 2019 .hps://tcf.org/content/report/construcng-commercial- empire-united-arab-emirates-red-sea-horn/?agreed=1&agreed=1 (accessed july 23, 2020) 5) From Cooperaon to Conflict : The Deepening Crisis with Somalia and Djibou . By Isamail Numan Telci, April 26, 2018. hps://policstoday.org/from-cooperaon-to-conflict-the-uaes- deepening-crisis-with-somalia-and-djibou/ 6) The Polics of Ports in the Horn : War, Peace and Red Sea Rivalries by David Styan. hps://africanarguments.org/2018/07/18/polics-ports-horn-war-peace-red-sea-rivalries/ (accessed july 6,2020) 7) hps://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/horn-africa/somalia/260-somalia-and-gulf-crisis 8) hps://orientalreview.org/2016/11/25/hybrid-wars-8-in-the-horn-of-africa-iia/ 9) hps://africanarguments.org/2018/07/09/thin-red-line-red-sea/(accessed july 7,2020) 10) hps://orientalreview.org/2018/03/08/djibou-is-dangerously-becoming-a-trigger-for- transregional-destabilizaon/ By: Prof.Dr. Bischara Ali EGAL, Execuve Director, Researcher The Horn of Africa Center for Strategic and internaonal Studies ( Horncsis.org) Mogadishu, Somalia (Horn of Africa) http://www.horncsis.org/
