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Protesters reject creation of UAE military base in Somaliland

Dozens of people protest outside the UAE Embassy in London, UK, against the creation of an Emirati military base in Somalia

March 2, 2017 at 4:29 pm

Scores of people demonstrated outside the UAE embassy in London today in protest against the establishment of an Emirati military base in Somaliland.

Protesters carried banners in Arabic and English calling for an end to wars and for the funds to be redirected to aid projects rather than military warfare, “Somaliland needs aid not military base”, in reference to Somalia’s breakaway northern territory.

“We are not against the UAE, the Emirates and its people are our brothers. They’ve helped us throughout time,” a protester said.

“We don’t want to be dragged into a war. Our country is stable. We don’t care if someone is Shia or Sunni, we are all Muslim.”

“All we want is peace,” another explained, “but our government has sold land to the UAE for a military base so it can attack Yemen, but the people of Yemen are our brothers and we don’t want to be dragged into this war on them.”

News that the UAE is to build a military base in Berbera was made public last month.