Protesters reject creation of UAE military base in Somaliland

3 March, 2017 | Filed under: All News,more news,Opinion,RECENT POSTS | Posted by:

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

 In a protest against the creation of a UAE military base in Somalia, banners read "No to military bases, no to aggression" outside the UAE embassy in London, UK, on 2 March 2017.

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.

Dozens of people protest outside the UAE Embassy in London, UK, against the creation of an Emirati military base in Somalia on 2 March 2017.

“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 Su 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.”

 In a protest against the creation of a UAE military base in Somalia, banners read "No to sectarian wars, no to proxy wars" and "We've had enough war, our problems are enough for us" outside the UAE embassy in London, UK, on 2 March 2017.Dozens of people protest outside the UAE Embassy in London, UK, against the creation of an Emirati military base in Somalia on 2 March 2017.

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

Source:middleeastmonitor