UAE appoints new ambassador to Somalia amid diplomatic shake-up

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) appointed a new ambassador to Somalia on Wednesday.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation announced in a statement that Ahmad Juma Al Rumaithi will take over as the Gulf nation’s top representative in Somalia, replacing Mohamed Ahmed Al-Othman.

The appointment is part of a broader diplomatic shake-up in “friendly countries,” which the UAE says is necessary to address the emirate’s new challenges.

The UAE changed ambassadors in India, Germany, Bangladesh, Finland, Nepal, Poland, Costa Rica, Ireland, Georgia, Jordan, and Yemen.

Somalia and the UAE have long had diplomatic ties. Still, relations soured when the UAE signed an agreement in 2016 to further develop and operate the Port of Berbera in Somaliland, which resulted in the 2018 seizure of nearly $10 million from an Emirati plane in Mogadishu.

Following the closely watched presidential election in May, outgoing Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble flew to Dubai to personally deliver the cash and apologize for the seizure.

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