By any objective measure, the decision taken by Somalia’s Cabinet on January 12 to annul all agreements with the United Arab Emirates was neither abrupt nor reckless. It came after prolonged restraint, repeated diplomatic engagement, and a sober assessment of what any responsible government is ultimately obliged to defend: its sovereignty, constitutional order, and national unity.

For years, Somalia pursued cooperation with external partners in good faith, guided by the expectation that engagement would be based on mutual respect, positive collaboration and the pursuit of a win-win prosperous future. The Somali government’s patience was not infinite nor unconditional. When international cooperation begins to bypass constitutional institutions, fragment national authority, and distort internal political balances, it ceases to be partnership and becomes illegal interference.

At its core, sovereignty is not an empty slogan; it is a system. It means that political, security, and economic relations with foreign states must flow through a country’s recognised national institutions. When parallel arrangements emerge, direct dealings with sub-national entities, security cooperation outside........

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