Somalia rejects $80M offered by Saudi Arabia, UAE to cut ties with Qatar

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) offered Somali President Mohammed Abdullah Farmajo $80 million to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar.

A source at the New Khalij news outlet said Farmajo rejected the offer.

The Somali government has been under pressure by Saudi Arabia to sever ties with Qatar.

Saudi Arabia threatened to cut aid unless the Somali administration changed its neutral stance and joined the political row against Qatar.

Reports emerged earlier this week that said Saudi Arabia and the UAE threatened to withhold $50 million in aid if Somalia did not cut ties with Qatar.

A Somali official said six Somali Cabinet ministers who recently visited Saudi Arabia were pressured to end ties with Qatar or miss out on development aid.

Somalia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement last week calling for “all brotherly countries involved to settle the differences through dialogue and within the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.”

Qatar has been supported by Turkey after its Arab neighbors cut transport links with Doha and ordered Qatari nationals to leave.

Turkey has flown food supplies to Qatar since the blockade was imposed and has pledged to send troops to train the Qatari gendarmerie. Turkish government figures have repeatedly called for an easing of tensions and a diplomatic solution.