The parliament of Somaliland approved the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) request to establish a military base in the coastal city of Barbra on the Gulf of Aden coast. Many experts said that the establishment of the military base raised controversy among Horn of Africa countries, especially that Emirates possesses another base in Eritrean coastal city of Asab to confront the Houthis in Yemen.

The Emirati government stressed that it need the base to support the marine siege against the Houthi militias. Somali officials stressed the need for allowing the establishment of the military base to help the Somali people find jobs.

144 parliamentarians voted for the decision to establish the Emirati military base, while only two members rejected and two others abstained from voting. The Emirati government signed an agreement with Somalia last year develop Barbra port basically used to export the livestock.