Kenyans, Somalis fall hostage to UAE-Qatar cold war

摘要

On 18 November, Abu Dhabi closed its borders to nationals of Kenya, Somalia, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, and to citizens of seven Arab countries. The Kenyan businessmen who pass through Dubai, and the Somali cattle traders who sell their herds in the Emirates, were caught short by the move. Some of the countries on the list have frosty diplomatic relations with Abu Dhabi, but this is not officially the case with Kenya or Somalia. The measure was justified by fears of infiltration by militants from the Al Shabaab jihadist group, which is well established in Somali refugee camps in Kenya, in particular that of Dadaab. Dadaab has been a concern for the Emiratis for several years. Abu Dhabi in 2017 even offered to help Kenyan authorities repatriate refugees to Somalia (Africa Intelligence, 28/04/17). Officialy, the Emirates are particularly keen to avoid any infiltration as they boost ties with Israel and seek to organise an official visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which could take place by the end of the year (Netanyahu visited Saudi Arabia last week).