Eritrea has accused the UAE of expanding its strategic influence across Africa through ports and military facilities, warning that Abu Dhabi’s growing maritime presence goes beyond economic interests.
ASMARA, Eritrea (Somali Report) — Eritrea has accused the United Arab Emirates of pursuing what it described as a “port empire” across Africa, saying Abu Dhabi is seeking to expand its strategic influence through ports and military facilities in the region.
Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh said the UAE had established interests in ports and coastal facilities across parts of the region and urged African countries to question why Abu Dhabi was seeking a growing network of ports and military bases.
“Why does the UAE want all these ports and bases?” Saleh said in an interview with Middle East Eye in Asmara, according to the report.
The comments come amid growing competition among regional and global powers for influence along the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa, where ports have become increasingly important for trade, security and military operations.
UAE-linked companies, including DP World and AD Ports Group, have secured investments, management agreements or development interests at ports in countries including Egypt and Tanzania, as well as in Somaliland and Puntland, two Somali regions.
The expansion has also generated political disputes in several countries. Djibouti terminated a contract with DP World in 2018 over the management of the Doraleh Container Terminal, while Sudan withdrew in 2022 from an agreement with AD Ports for the development of a major port project on its Red Sea coast.
Saleh warned that the UAE’s presence in regional ports should not be viewed solely through an economic lens, suggesting that the investments were also linked to broader strategic ambitions.
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The UAE established a military base at Assab in southern Eritrea in 2016. Abu Dhabi used the facility to support military operations in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.
Relations between Eritrea and the UAE later deteriorated. An Eritrean official said Asmara had rejected a UAE request, reportedly made around 2016, to establish a military facility on one of Eritrea’s Dahlak Islands that would have been jointly used by the UAE and Israel.
Eritrea, which has an extensive coastline along the Red Sea, occupies a strategically important position close to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world's key maritime chokepoints connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The dispute highlights the increasingly complex competition over ports, military facilities and political influence along the Red Sea and across the Horn of Africa.
For Abu Dhabi, control or access to strategic maritime infrastructure has been central to its broader commercial and geopolitical strategy, while critics in parts of Africa have raised concerns over sovereignty, security and the long-term political implications of foreign involvement in ports.
Eritrea's latest accusations add to those tensions at a time when regional states are seeking greater control over their strategic coastline and outside powers are competing for access to vital maritime routes.
About the Author
Ahmed Omar is a senior journalist for Somali Report, based in Mogadishu. He has two decades of experience reporting on Somalia for international and local media. He covers politics, security, governance, business, trade, economic developments and regional affairs.
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