{
  "id": 6891874,
  "title": "Exclusive: UAE pursuing 'port imperialism' across Africa, Eritrean foreign minister says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/exclusive-uae-pursuing-port-imperialism-across-africa-eritrean",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-12T08:27:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-eritrea-foreign-minister-says-uae-pursuing-port-imperialism-across-africa"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Eritrea's Foreign Minister Osman Saleh has criticised the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for its \"port imperialism\" across Africa, calling it motivated by factors beyond mere economics. The UAE's two port groups, DP World and AD Ports, manage facilities in Egypt, Tanzania, Somaliland, and Puntland, a semiautonomous region of Somalia. Saleh expressed Eritrea's reluctance to accept a UAE port role, stating that the country does not want any foreign power to establish a base in Eritrea. The UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are involved in fighting against Sudan's military, a relationship that further strains Eritrea-UAE ties. Eritrea and Ethiopia have patched up their strained relations to jointly fight against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in Ethiopia, but tensions persist as Ethiopia claims Eritrea supports TPLF factions. Eritrean officials also express concern over the UAE's alignment with Israel, particularly in Somaliland, which they view as a strategic move with imperialistic undertones.",
  "summary": "Exclusive: UAE pursuing 'port imperialism' across Africa, Eritrean foreign minister says Submitted by Sean Mathews on Thu, 09/10/2026 - 13:53 UAE sought a shared Eritrean island base for Israel as early as 2016. Asmara sees closer Israel-UAE alignment on Ethiopia Minister of Foreign Affairs for Eritrea Osman Saleh addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York…",
  "key_points": [
    "UAE pursues \"port imperialism\" across Africa via DP World and AD Ports",
    "Eritrea's Foreign Minister Osman Saleh criticizes UAE's port strategy",
    "Eritrea fears foreign military bases and UAE's alignment with Israel"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Eritrea's resistance to UAE port involvement reveals its concern that such a presence would serve as a foreign power base, fitting a pattern of opposition to what it perceives as UAE imperialism.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "ED finds Rs 3.3 crore, Africa link in raids linked to Karnataka minister, family",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/ed-finds-rs-3-3-crore-africa-link-in-raids-linked-to-karnataka",
        "published": "2026-09-12T06:19:34.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}