Eritrea Accuses UAE of ‘Port Imperialism,’ Warns of Regional Alignment

September 13, 2026

By Kulu

Eritrea accuses UAE of port imperialism as Foreign Minister Osman Saleh raises Red Sea concerns

File photo of Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23, 2024. Saleh has accused the UAE of pursuing “port imperialism” in Africa and raised concerns about growing strategic competition around the Red Sea and Horn of Africa. Credit: UN Photo.

Eritrea accuses UAE of port imperialism across Africa as Foreign Minister Osman Saleh raises concerns about Abu Dhabi’s expanding maritime presence and what Asmara views as growing strategic cooperation between the UAE, Israel and Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa.

Saleh made the comments in an exclusive interview with Middle East Eye published amid worsening regional tensions involving Eritrea, Ethiopia and the Red Sea.

The remarks add another dimension to rapidly deteriorating Ethiopia-Eritrea relations and come as disputes over Ethiopia’s ambitions for greater Red Sea access increasingly intersect with wider Gulf and Middle Eastern interests in the Horn of Africa.

“The UAE has port facilities everywhere in the region, and African countries have to ask why,” Saleh told Middle East Eye, questioning whether the investments were motivated solely by economics.

Eritrea Accuses UAE of Expanding Strategic Influence

The UAE has developed a significant commercial and strategic presence around the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and East African coastline through companies including DP World and AD Ports.

Their operations or investments extend to locations including Egypt, Tanzania, Somaliland and Puntland.

Saleh characterized the expansion as “port imperialism,” arguing that African countries should scrutinize the strategic objectives behind the UAE’s growing maritime network.

Eritrea’s relationship with the UAE has its own complicated history.

The UAE established a military facility at Eritrea’s southern port of Assab in 2016, which was used during the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen.

Middle East Eye reported that relations between Asmara and Abu Dhabi subsequently deteriorated.

“We didn’t want DP World [in Eritrea],” Saleh told the publication, adding that Eritrea did not want a foreign power operating a permanent “hub” in the country.

The UAE has denied having imperial ambitions in Africa.

Eritrean Official Claims UAE Proposed Dahlak Base

One of the most significant claims in the report concerns the strategically located Dahlak Archipelago in the Red Sea.Geographic Reference

A senior Eritrean official told Middle East Eye that around 2016, Eritrea rejected a UAE request to establish a military base on one of the Dahlak islands that would have been shared by the UAE and Israel.

The reported proposal would have come approximately five years before the UAE and Israel publicly normalized relations through the Abraham Accords.

Middle East Eye attributed the account to an unnamed senior Eritrean official. Kulu Media has not independently verified that such a proposal was made, and the report did not include confirmation from the UAE or Israel.

The Dahlak Archipelago lies off Eritrea’s Red Sea coast near important international shipping routes, giving the islands considerable strategic significance.

Eritrea Raises Concerns Over Israel, UAE and Ethiopia

Saleh also said Eritrea sees increasing convergence between the interests of Israel and the UAE in the Horn of Africa, particularly involving Ethiopia and Somaliland.

“The UAE and Israel have already converged on Somaliland,” Saleh told Middle East Eye.

According to the report, Eritrean officials believe a similar convergence is developing around Ethiopia.

The assessment comes as Addis Ababa continues to pursue greater access to the Red Sea, an issue that has become one of the most sensitive points in relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Ethiopia is landlocked and depends heavily on Djibouti for international maritime trade. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has repeatedly argued that sustainable access to the sea is strategically important for the country’s long-term economic development.

Eritrea, however, has strongly opposed any suggestion that Ethiopia could obtain sovereign access to Eritrean territory, while indicating that commercial arrangements could be discussed.

Tensions have intensified further as Eritrea accuses Ethiopia of destabilizing the Horn of Africa and supporting Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, allegations that Ethiopia has not publicly accepted.

Israel’s Role Draws Eritrean Scrutiny

Saleh also questioned Israel’s growing strategic interest in the Horn of Africa, particularly its relationship with Somaliland.

“We have to ask why Israel is running to control the Horn of Africa? Why do they need a base in Somaliland?” Saleh told Middle East Eye.

His comments represent Eritrea’s assessment of Israeli intentions and should not be interpreted as independently established evidence that Israel is seeking to control the region.Geographic Reference

Israel and Eritrea established diplomatic relations following Eritrean independence in 1993, but Saleh indicated that relations have since cooled considerably.

“We are not antagonistic to Israel, but we just decided we didn’t want any relations,” he said.

The comments suggest that Asmara currently has little interest in restoring a substantial Israeli diplomatic presence in Eritrea.

Red Sea Competition Intensifies

The dispute comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Red Sea security.

Fighting in Yemen has expanded toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after Houthi forces captured Mocha and advanced into strategically important areas near the shipping chokepoint.

The wider Bab el-Mandeb security crisis has increased the strategic importance of Eritrea and Djibouti, which sit directly opposite Yemen on the African side of the strait.

Eritrea has more than 1,000 kilometres of Red Sea coastline and controls territory and islands close to some of the world’s most important maritime routes.

Saleh separately told Middle East Eye that countries bordering the Red Sea should play a central role in determining how freedom of navigation is protected, while arguing that there is no military solution to the conflict in Yemen.

The latest comments therefore extend beyond Eritrea’s bilateral relationship with the UAE. They reflect Asmara’s broader concern about increasing competition among regional and international powers for ports, military access and influence along the Red Sea and Horn of Africa coastline.

With Ethiopia seeking greater maritime access, Gulf states expanding their port networks and the Bab el-Mandeb conflict intensifying, Eritrea accuses UAE of port imperialism at a time when control and access around the Red Sea are becoming increasingly important regional security issues.