UAE condemns Somalia seizure of plane, fund

abu dhabi — The UAE has condemned the seizure of its civilian aircraft carrying millions of dollars by authorities in Somalia on Sunday.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said that the jet was seized at Mogadishu airport carrying $9.6 million in cash allocated to support the Somali army and trainees.

The ministry said some of those on board the plane had been held at gunpoint and assaulted by Somali security forces. This action is an illegal step that “contradicts the established diplomatic norms and traditions between countries and is a serious breach of the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between

the two countries in November 2014”, it said.

“The UAE deplores this violation of international law and norms, at a time when the UAE has provided all kinds of political, economic, military and humanitarian support in the darkest conditions to establish security and stability in the Somali Federal Republic.”

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash said the UAE was trying to resolve the issue with the Somali government.

He noted that the UAE backs counter-terrorism efforts in Somalia, where Al Shabaab militants stage regular, and that it had been sending money there as part of its commitment to Somalia’s “stability in the fight against terrorism”. “The money came in for our usual payments to various security and other commitments that we have in Somalia,” he told.