Diplomacy

UAE pursuing 'port imperialism' across Africa, Eritrean foreign minister says

AI SUMMARY

Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh accused the UAE of pursuing port imperialism across Africa during an exclusive interview with Middle East Eye.

Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh accused the UAE of pursuing port imperialism across Africa during an exclusive interview in Asmara with the Middle East Eye.
The UAE's port groups, DP World and AD Ports, hold stakes in or manage facilities in Egypt, Tanzania, Somaliland, and Puntland.
Djibouti cancelled a DP World concession in 2018, and Sudan cancelled a $6bn port agreement with AD Ports Group in 2022.
The UAE established a military base in Eritrea's Assab port in 2016 to wage war in Yemen, but relations subsequently soured.
Eritrea rejected a request around 2016 to allow the UAE and Israel to establish a joint military base in the Dahlak Archipelago.
Eritrean officials expressed concern over growing cooperation between the UAE, Israel, and Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa.
Eritrea decided to close the Israeli embassy in Asmara and severed diplomatic relations.