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Somalia’s federal government has opened an urgent investigation following reports that its airspace and airport facilities may have been used without authorization to move a high-profile Yemeni political figure who is currently at the center of regional tensions involving Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The Immigration and Citizenship Agency confirmed on Thursday that it is examining claims that Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council, traveled through Somali territory after failing to attend scheduled peace talks in Riyadh. Al-Zubaidi heads the UAE-backed council and has been a key player in Yemen’s long-running conflict, which has increasingly drawn in regional powers.
According to a statement issued by the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, al-Zubaidi reportedly left the southern Yemeni city of Aden by sea and traveled to Somaliland. From there, he is alleged to have boarded an aircraft that flew to Mogadishu before continuing on to a military airport in Abu Dhabi. These claims have raised serious questions within Somalia’s government about how its airspace and entry points are being monitored and controlled.
In response, Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Agency said it is working closely with other national institutions to establish whether Somali laws, aviation rules, or immigration procedures were breached. The agency emphasized that any use of Somali territory or facilities without proper authorization would be treated as a grave matter.
“If these reports are confirmed, such actions would represent a serious violation of Somalia’s national sovereignty and immigration regulations,” the agency said in its statement. It stressed that facilitating the movement of fugitives or allowing unilateral operations on Somali soil without legal approval is unacceptable under any circumstances.
Somali authorities underscored that respect for national sovereignty and strict adherence to domestic and international legal frameworks are principles that cannot be compromised. The government warned that any confirmed wrongdoing would lead to appropriate legal and administrative action against those responsible.
The federal government also reiterated its support for Saudi Arabia’s push for dialogue in Riyadh as the best path toward resolving Yemen’s political crisis. Officials noted that any attempt to avoid or undermine that process, including through alleged external assistance, could weaken fragile diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict.
In its statement, the government added that if the investigation verifies the allegations, the incident could also amount to a violation of existing bilateral agreements and international laws governing the lawful movement of individuals across borders. Such a finding, officials said, would have broader diplomatic implications beyond Somalia’s borders.
So far, neither the Southern Transitional Council nor the Emirati government has responded publicly to the allegations. Somali authorities have also not confirmed whether al-Zubaidi physically entered Mogadishu or formally passed through Somali aviation facilities, leaving several key details still unclear.
The reports have reignited wider concerns about Somalia’s airspace and ports being increasingly entangled in regional conflicts. In recent years, questions have been raised about how foreign-linked logistics and transport operations are using Somali territory, sometimes with limited oversight.
In November 2025, Somalia’s Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi told the Upper House of Parliament that aircraft had been flying from Bosaso, a major commercial hub in Puntland, to Sudan. At the time, he acknowledged that the government did not have full information on who was operating those flights or what cargo they were carrying, fueling concern among lawmakers.
Those remarks followed weeks of investigative reporting by Hiiraan Online and other media outlets that pointed to Bosaso’s growing role in regional logistics networks with links to the UAE. A separate investigation by Middle East Eye published in late October reported that cargo planes associated with the UAE had repeatedly landed at Bosaso Airport since 2023. Sources cited in that report claimed the aircraft unloaded potentially hazardous shipments before continuing onward to Sudan.
Together, these developments have intensified calls for tighter oversight of Somalia’s airspace, ports, and airports, as the government seeks to protect its sovereignty while navigating complex regional dynamics that increasingly place the country at the crossroads of broader geopolitical struggles.