Berbera (Somalia Today) — The United Arab Emirates is discreetly building a military base at Berbera airport in Somaliland, Somalia’s self-declared republic in the northwest, for use by the UAE, the United States and Israel, French newspaper Le Monde has reported.
The report said construction had gathered pace at the airport, about seven kilometres west of Berbera, as Somaliland deepens ties with Israel and pushes for wider international recognition.
Le Monde said the work coincided with Israel’s recognition of Somaliland’s independence on December 26, 2025, a move rejected by Somalia and condemned by regional and continental bodies.
The newspaper said the project could help establish a forward Israeli outpost near the Gulf of Aden, close to Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have threatened shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Berbera sits near the southern entrance to the Red Sea, one of the world’s most sensitive maritime corridors and a key route linking Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Satellite images
Le Monde said satellite images showed major excavation work in at least three locations south of Berbera airport’s runway between October 2025 and March 2026.
Workers dug at least 18 trenches in the sandy soil, according to the newspaper. A European security source quoted by Le Monde said the underground structures appeared to match the layout of ammunition storage facilities or fuel tanks.
The images showed containers placed inside the trenches before workers covered them again, the report said.
A military expert cited by Le Monde said the UAE was carrying out the work to install ammunition depots.
An employee at Berbera airport also told the newspaper that Abu Dhabi was carrying out the project on behalf of its Israeli and American partners.
The UAE signed a defence agreement with Somaliland in 2017 that included the use of Berbera airport for military purposes.
Abu Dhabi has since built a wide commercial and security footprint around Berbera, including through DP World, which operates the port and has helped develop nearby trade infrastructure.
Air defence plans
Le Monde said raised earth platforms visible in satellite images could point to plans to install air defence systems.
The newspaper cited an analysis by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which said the platforms likely indicated preparations for air defence.
Le Monde said the capabilities resembled those seen at Bosaso airport in Puntland, where the UAE also has a military presence.
The newspaper said the UAE deployed an Israeli-made EL/M-2084 radar system at Bosaso in March 2025, highlighting the growing security overlap between Abu Dhabi and Israel in the region.
Berbera’s military facilities have expanded since the UAE took over parts of the airport in 2017.
The runway has been renovated, military hangars have been built, and a nearby naval pier capable of receiving warships and aircraft carriers has been developed, according to Le Monde.
Israel ties
Israel and Somaliland have denied the existence of a formal defence agreement.
But Le Monde said cooperation had already begun on the ground. The newspaper reported that Somaliland intelligence officers had quietly travelled to Tel Aviv for training, while Israeli military delegations had visited Hargeisa and Berbera.
Israeli military missions have also been seen at Berbera, where they met the chief of staff of Somaliland’s army, according to the report.
Access to the airport, once considered a civilian facility, is now prohibited, and the access road has been closed, Le Monde said.
The findings add to growing scrutiny of Israel’s relationship with Somaliland after several public comments by Israeli and Somaliland officials pointed to deepening security ties.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in June that Israel and Somaliland had cooperated “under the radar” for years and were now seeking to deepen security cooperation.
“For many years, we have cooperated under the radar in a series of activities that will remain secret,” Katz said, according to a statement from his office.
He said Israel now wanted to take security cooperation with Somaliland to “new heights”.
AFP also reported that a Western diplomat said there was a widespread assumption that Israel already had a military or security presence in Somaliland.
Retired Israeli Brigadier General Amir Avivi told the Israel Defence and Security Forum in May that Israel had been operating in the area.
“Israel is building capabilities in Somaliland… we have a base now,” he said, according to the report.
Official denials
Somaliland officials have rejected claims that Israel has opened or is negotiating to open a military base in the territory.
Defence Minister Mohamed Yusuf Ali told Reuters last month that there was no Israeli military presence or base in Somaliland.
“There is no Israeli military presence or military bases in Somaliland,” he said. “But Israel is helping Somaliland … they are supporting the training of some of our police and military.”
He dismissed reports of talks over an Israeli military base as “rumours”.
The denials have not stopped speculation, especially after Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland as independent and after senior Somaliland officials visited Israel.
Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi travelled to Israel in June, where officials discussed security, economic and political cooperation.
Somaliland also opened a mission in Jerusalem, while Israel appointed its first ambassador to Somaliland earlier this year.
Houthi warning
The reported Israeli interest in Berbera has already drawn threats from Yemen’s Houthis, who have targeted Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea since the start of the Gaza war.
Last month, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi threatened to target any Israeli presence in Somaliland, accusing Israel of seeking control over waterways linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
He said his movement was closely monitoring developments in Somaliland and what he described as Israeli efforts to control the Gulf of Aden, Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea.
“We will move at any time to target any activity or presence of the Israeli enemy in Somaliland,” he said, according to the report.
Al-Houthi also urged countries bordering the Red Sea to adopt a united position against Israeli activity in the region and support Somalia in confronting what he described as a violation of its sovereignty.
The warning highlights the risk that any confirmed Israeli military footprint in Berbera could draw Somaliland into the wider confrontation between Israel, Iran and Tehran-aligned groups in Yemen and elsewhere.
Local opposition
The reported construction has also drawn opposition from some local figures in Somaliland.
Traditional elder Suldan Ahmed Qabille opposed using Berbera airport as a foreign military base, warning that such a move could pull Somaliland into regional and international rivalries.
“I believe that the interests of my people are above foreign interests,” Qabille wrote on Facebook.
“Therefore, I am responsibly opposed to the use of Berbera Airport as a military base for use by foreign countries, which could lead Somaliland into rivalries and conflicts that are beyond our interests.”
He said it was unacceptable for Somaliland to become a site of competition between global powers or a base for other countries’ military interests.
“Any such malicious action can create security and diplomatic threats that are not in the interest of the people,” he said.
His comments underline a sensitive debate inside Somaliland, where leaders see foreign partnerships as a path towards recognition, but critics fear the territory could become exposed to conflicts beyond its control.
Alternative to Djibouti
Berbera’s location gives it major strategic value.
The city lies on the Gulf of Aden, across from Yemen and close to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the narrow waterway that links the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
The airport also has one of Africa’s longest runways, built by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and measuring more than four kilometres.
Le Monde said Berbera could appeal to Washington as an alternative to Djibouti, where the United States operates its main African base at Camp Lemonnier.
The US base in Djibouti sits close to China’s first overseas military base, which opened in 2017.
Le Monde said US Africa Command delegations frequently visit Berbera, including General Dagvin Anderson, who was seen on the airport tarmac on December 1, 2025.
The newspaper also said Djibouti does not allow the United States to launch attacks on Yemen from its territory because of fears of Houthi retaliation.
Somaliland, by contrast, could be more willing to accommodate such requests as it seeks diplomatic recognition from Washington, the report said.
Sovereignty dispute
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not been recognised by the United Nations, the African Union or most countries.
Mogadishu considers Somaliland part of Somalia and has repeatedly rejected foreign agreements involving the territory without federal approval.
Somalia strongly opposed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, calling it an attack on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The African Union also called for the immediate revocation of Israel’s recognition, warning that unilateral recognition undermined Somalia’s territorial integrity.
The latest Le Monde report is likely to deepen those concerns because it links Berbera to the military interests of three powerful external actors: the UAE, the United States and Israel.
For Somaliland, deeper security and diplomatic ties with Abu Dhabi, Washington and Tel Aviv could strengthen its long campaign for recognition.
For Somalia, the reported expansion at Berbera risks turning the disputed territory into a platform for foreign military competition at one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.
And for the wider region, the project raises another concern: that Berbera could become a new flashpoint in the Red Sea struggle involving Israel, the Houthis, Iran, the UAE and the United States.
