Somalia has severed all agreements with the United Arab Emirates, annulling deals spanning key port operations, security cooperation and defence, citing “harmful actions” that undermine the country’s unity and sovereignty.

After the Council of Ministers announced the decision on Monday, Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said in a post on X that the move was based on “reliable reports and evidence indicating practices linked to the United Arab Emirates that undermine the sovereignty of the Somali Republic, its national unity and political independence”.

Somalia’s announcement appears to be linked to Israel’s recognition in December of Somaliland, a self-declared independent region in northwestern Somalia that broke away in 1991 but lacks international recognition, said Abdinor Dahir, an independent Somalia analyst.

“Many Somalis believe the UAE facilitated Israel’s recognition of Somaliland,” Dahir told Al Jazeera.