Was Somalia's decision to side with Qatar over UAE/Saudi a strategic mistake?

Which side should Somalia have sided with?

  • Qatar

  • UAE/Saudi Arabia

  • Neither

Results are only viewable after voting.
I

IPushFatKids

On the surface it doesn't make much sense why Somalia would side with tiny Qatar over UAE/Saudi Arabia who have way bigger resources.

All because there was an already existing connection between Fahad and the Qatari's?

Some major drawbacks from this decision:
1. UAE really fucked us over with regards to Somaliland, they all but recognized that place as independent nation except on paper. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the CEO of DP World & part of the royal family outright called it a 'sovereign nation'.
2. UAE/Saudi ceased investments in Somalia, shut down hospitals, training etc
3. We missed a huge once in a life time opportunity to take control of Socotra. UAE (who have full control of Socotra) offered to recognise it as Somali territory in exchange for a token presence in Yemen, and Somali officials responded by calling the offer "ridiculous" 🤦‍♂️

And followed up with this response:

"Somalis are not cheap tools used to implement your demands (…) Yemen is a neighbour and a brotherly country and has its own sovereignty and dignity of its people," Ahmed Issa Awad said. "The world knows that Socotra is Yemeni land, and has been from ancient times," he concluded.
Click to expand...

^This official should be tried in military court for gross negligence of national duties.
 
SomaliSteel

SomaliSteel

No dictator can imprison a population forever.
No. It was the right move, even if Farmajo did it for the wrong reasons [ they were his financial backers]. The official stance was neutrality rather than taking one side. That is for the best long term. The Saudis and Emiratis financial aid is not worth it for us, the strings attached plus their financing for extremist ideology in the past gave of Shabab.

Better we get funding from elsewhere for those hospitals or fund them ourselves long term.

We have no claim to Socotra, while it is close to our borders. Claiming land that we cant take or hold when we ourselves are struggling to control the country is absurd. Rebels and terrorists hold much of the country we are in no position to be fighting in Yemen. Yemen is also a brother country truly. Yemen took hundreds of thousands of Somalis plus the hundreds of thousands that already live there. Saudi deported many Somalis and has an anti refugee policy. Somalis in Yemen were around 500k pre civil war. So our interests lie with Yemen, a string Yemen is good for Somalia.
 
M

Murax

I’d say the opposite. Saudi, UAE, ultimately capitulated to Turkey, Qatar. Why lose a ally in Turkey to indecisive Arabs?
 
Based

Based

VIP
IPushFatKids said:
On the surface it doesn't make much sense why Somalia would side with tiny Qatar over UAE/Saudi Arabia who have way bigger resources.

All because there was an already existing connection between Fahad and the Qatari's?

Some major drawbacks from this decision:
1. UAE really fucked us over with regards to Somaliland, they all but recognized that place as independent nation except on paper. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the CEO of DP World & part of the royal family outright called it a 'sovereign nation'.
2. UAE/Saudi ceased investments in Somalia, shut down hospitals, training etc
3. We missed a huge once in a life time opportunity to take control of Socotra. UAE (who have full control of Socotra) offered to recognise it as Somali territory in exchange for a token presence in Yemen, and Somali officials responded by calling the offer "ridiculous" 🤦‍♂️

And followed up with this response:



^This official should be tried in military court for gross negligence of national duties.
Click to expand...
What a doqon for muh Yemeni pat on the back hhahahaah
 
Qeelbax

Qeelbax

East Africa UNUKA LEH
VIP
:dwill: No why would we side with them? If we did, AL shabaab would’ve been running the country by now.
 
Jiron

Jiron

wanaag
NABADOON
VIP
You have to understand those arab countries are cousins who would eventually make peace between each other and that happened. Remaining neutral was the best course of action :)
 
SPMLegend

SPMLegend

VIP
Qatar terrorists support Shabab takeover of Somalia like they supported the Taliban. Anyway we should’ve been neutral in this dispute after all UAE-Saudi-Qatar are all the same Devil brothers who will make peace in the end of the day. This is why you see UAE involved in Ethiopia supporting Abiy Ahmed regime who is well know to be Farmaajo’s “brother”.
 
Periplus

Periplus

Minister of Propaganda
VIP
Farmajo actually stated that the FGS was neutral then the UAE was caught red handed trying to smuggle $10 Million USD into the country.

The UAE failed to provide a credible answer to the questions posed by Villa Somalia and the ensuing debacle led to the current frost.

Tbh it was probably the best thing done by the FGS. They were the only Arab nation alongside Kuwait to stay neutral and publicly embarrassed the UAE.

Even Emirati Somalis like @Shimbiris can tell you that Somalia really triggered/embarrassed the Khaleej.
 
Periplus

Periplus

Minister of Propaganda
VIP
To answer your question, Somalia is allied with Turkey and to side with KSA and UAE is to be openly hostile to Turkey.

Furthermore, the DP world deal preceded Somalia’s split from the UAE.
 
I

IPushFatKids

@Murax @Periplus and co.

I regret adding the neautral option as it’s an unrealistic cop out. We tried to be neautral but that didn’t last. If we HAD to choose obviously i think UAE/Saudi would have been the better choice.

Especially when you look at the turn of events today where UAE/Saudi have now made up with Turkey it wouldn’t have cost as anything at all.

“Furthermore, the DP world deal preceded Somalia’s split from the UAE.“

Fair point
 
Periplus

Periplus

Minister of Propaganda
VIP
IPushFatKids said:
@Murax @Periplus and co.

I regret adding the neautral option as it’s an unrealistic cop out. We tried to be neautral but that didn’t last. If we HAD to choose obviously i think UAE/Saudi would have been the better choice.

Especially when you look at the turn of events today where UAE/Saudi have now made up with Turkey it wouldn’t have cost as anything at all.

“Furthermore, the DP world deal preceded Somalia’s split from the UAE.“

Fair point
Click to expand...

At the end of the day for Somalia, it’s a financial game. Saudi and UAE barely gave Somalia half what Turkey and Qatar give.

UAE has a hospital in Xamar, Turkey built two public hospitals and a nursing school.

UAE had a military base, Turkey built one of the best military schools in the region.

When you add the Qatari $200 million infrastructure deal, the Turkish investment, the ports, airports, roads built etc.

It’s not a fair contest.

Furthermore, the UAE have seemed to have swallowed humble pie in recent months. They’re currently making overtures to Iran and Syria.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they become friendly with Somalia again. If that happens then this gamble by the FGS would an incredibly impressive foreign policy victory.

Im not even exaggerating.
 
I

IPushFatKids

Periplus said:
At the end of the day for Somalia, it’s a financial game. Saudi and UAE barely gave Somalia half what Turkey and Qatar give.

UAE has a hospital in Xamar, Turkey built two public hospitals and a nursing school.

UAE had a military base, Turkey built one of the best military schools in the region.

When you add the Qatari $200 million infrastructure deal, the Turkish investment, the ports, airports, roads built etc.

It’s not a fair contest.

Furthermore, the UAE have seemed to have swallowed humble pie in recent months. They’re currently making overtures to Iran and Syria.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they become friendly with Somalia again. If that happens then this gamble by the FGS would an incredibly impressive foreign policy victory.

Im not even exaggerating.
Click to expand...

What infrastructure has been built with that $200 million? It's been 4 years.
 
Jaha

Jaha

Cherry red Ferrari for free!
IPushFatKids said:
What infrastructure has been built with that $200 million? It's been 4 years.
Click to expand...
It was for the road projects I think, no idea if they were handed the full amount but they did start building the Mogadishu-Afgoye road around 100km
 
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