Somalia Confirms UAE Transported Yemeni Secessionist Through Mogadishu

Somalia, 14 January 2026 — Somalia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ali Omar Balcad, said that the United Arab Emirates secretly transported Yemeni separatist Aidarous al-Zubaidi through Berbera to Mogadishu, before flying him out on another aircraft, using Somalia’s airspace — an action he described as a serious violation.

According to Balcad, the Somali government received credible intelligence indicating that Aidarous’ name did not appear on the aircraft’s passenger manifest, raising suspicions that he was hidden onboard.

Although Somali authorities did not physically verify his presence on the plane, Balcad said the information received was sufficient to inform the government’s decision to annul all port and security agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“We received the passenger manifest, but his name was not listed. However, it is alleged that he was hiding inside the aircraft,” Balcad in an interview with Al Jazeera on Tuesday night.

He added that the incident was not the sole reason behind Somalia’s decision to cancel its agreements with the UAE