Gulf states vie for influence in Horn of Africa as tensions rise

DESPITE East Africa being far from the Gulf, a dispute between Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain has led to the area becoming increasingly strategic as the antagonists battle for influence there.

The four Arab countries have blockaded Qatar and sought the closure of the Al Jazeera news network based in Doha over claims that Qatar is sponsoring terrorism, which Doha vigorously denies.

As the dispute simmers, the oil- and gas-rich Gulf nations have been making their presence felt in the Horn of Africa by establishing military bases, managing ports and supporting allies there with aid.

For Saudi Arabia, and its allies involved in the Yemen War, East Africa has enormous strategic value.

The Horn’s shoreline comes as close as 30km to Yemen at the Bab Al Mandeb strait, a crucial chokepoint at sea for oil tankers heading from the Gulf to Europe.

Smugglers have long used East Africa as a point of departure for reaching Yemen and securing the area became a priority in March 2015, when the Saudiled coalition launched its war against Shia rebels and their allies.

Following the outbreak of the war, the UAE established a military base in Assab in Eritrea and it plans to build another one in Somalia’s breakaway northern territory of Somaliland.

Somalia is of particular importance to both sides of the Gulf rift. Mogadishu now has a civilian government which is battling Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists Al-Shabaab. Somalia receives the most aid from Saudi Arabia, while the UAE trained the country’s military.