By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
Somalia, 13 January 2026 — Somalia’s Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Daud Aweys Jamac has downplayed the country's move to annul agreements with United Arab Emirates (UAE), stating that it is not a severance of diplomatic ties but rather a cancellation of specific deals.
The Minister made the remarks in an interview with Al Jazeera television after being asked whether the Somali government was planning to completely severe relations with the UAE.
“So far, the decision we have taken is limited only to the cancellation of the agreements and does not concern any additional issues,” he said.
The Somali government announced on Monday that it had officially annulled all agreements it had with UAE, citing concerns over the Middle East country's actions undermining Somalia’s sovereignty particularly in the breakaway region of Somaliland.
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Jamac said the decision to cancel the agreements was based on an internal review, stressing that there are no plans to end diplomatic relations or broader cooperation between the two sides.
The Minister's remarks comes amid widespread public discussion about the future of relations between Somalia and the UAE following the federal government’s Monday announcement.
Puntland and Jubaland joined Somaliland in condemning the government's decision insisting that the agreements are still valid in their areas of jurisdiction.
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