Funding the Flames: How UAE-Backed Land Grabs and Charcoal Trade Continue to Fuel Conflict and Environmental Destruction in Somalia – 2025
Prepared by the Africa Academy of Diplomacy (AAD)
Based on the 2018 report by Rose Worden, originally published by Hiiraan Online
(Rose Worden is a researcher and writer based in New York. She holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from The New School and specializes in development and security in the Horn of Africa and the MENA region.)
Original publication: “The UAE still supports al-Shabaab through Somalia’s illicit charcoal trade,” Hiiraan Online, March 5, 2018.
(hiiraan.com)
Executive Summary
Seven years after Rose Worden’s 2018 exposé revealed the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) role in fueling Somalia’s illicit charcoal economy, new evidence gathered in 2024–2025 indicates that these activities have not only persisted but evolved into land-based exploitation and systematic persecution of environmental defenders.
The UAE’s financial support to Sheikh Ahmed Madobe, the ruler of Kismayo and leader of the Jubaland administration, has allegedly facilitated forced land seizures in the Buulagaduud zone, displacing farming communities and silencing dissent through militia violence.
This 2025 update by the Africa Academy of Diplomacy (AAD) documents:
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The continued involvement of UAE-linked networks in Somalia’s illicit charcoal and land economies.
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Forcible evictions of local residents from fertile farmland under the guise of “development projects.”
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The arbitrary detention and threats against environmental defender Ahmed Mohamed Nuh and others.
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The environmental, human rights, and security implications of these actions in southern Somalia.
1. Background: The 2018 Findings
In 2018, Rose Worden’s investigation for Hiiraan Online unveiled that the UAE remained a primary hub for Somalia’s illicit charcoal exports, even after the 2012 UN Security Council ban (Resolution 2036).
At the time, the port of Kismayo—then controlled by Ahmed Madobe’s Jubaland administration—served as a key export site for charcoal bound for Port Al Hamriya in Dubai, with al-Shabaab and local militias profiting from export taxes.
The 2018 report estimated the annual wholesale value of Somalia’s charcoal trade in the UAE at $135–$180 million, and retail sales at up to $228 million. Despite international condemnation, enforcement of the ban remained weak, with transnational criminal networks linking Somalia and Dubai continuing to operate “with near impunity.”
The UAE’s dual role—providing humanitarian aid while enabling illicit economic structures—was identified as a major obstacle to peacebuilding, environmental protection, and federal legitimacy in Somalia.
2. New Developments (2024–2025): UAE Funding, Land Grabs, and Forced Evictions
Recent field evidence and testimonies collected by Somali civil society and verified by AAD researchers reveal a disturbing new dimension to UAE involvement in southern Somalia.
In early 2025, the UAE provided millions of dollars in funding to Sheikh Ahmed Madobe, purportedly for agricultural development and infrastructure restoration in Jubaland.
However, investigations show that these funds were instead channeled into militia operations that forcibly seized farmland from local residents in the Buulagaduud zone, northeast of Kismayo.
Witnesses reported that Madobe’s loyal militias conducted violent evictions, destroying homes and crops. Farmlands were later leased to Dubai-based investors associated with export-oriented agribusiness projects.
This deliberate land capture campaign reflects a shift from illicit charcoal trade to land-based exploitation, perpetuating the same patterns of economic abuse documented in 2018—but now targeting land, livelihoods, and local ecosystems directly.
3. Crackdown on Environmental Defenders & Land Seizures
The land seizures in Buulagaduud have sparked a wave of repression against environmental defenders and community activists. Due to renewed serious human rights violation which occured between August and September 2025, Ahmed M. Nuh, a respected environmental defender in the rural, from the outskirts of Kismayo, was arbitrarily detained (August 21 – September 03, 2025) and threatened by Jubaland’s local militas. His detention followed public awareness campaign and participating in peaceful assembly to protest against the forced eviction of the deforestation and illegal land expropriation funded by foreign interests.
Other defenders and activists documenting the evictions have since gone into hiding or fled the region, citing intimidation and surveillance by state-linked militias. These developments illustrate an emerging pattern of criminalization of environmental activism in Somalia—particularly when it challenges foreign-financed projects.
4. Environmental and Social Consequences
The environmental toll of the UAE-backed operations in Jubaland has been devastating:
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Mass deforestation continues around Kismayo and Buur Gaabo, contributing to soil erosion and loss of biodiversity.
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Farmland displacement has disrupted local food production, worsening food insecurity in already fragile communities.
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Forced displacement has pushed hundreds of rural families toward Kismayo city and IDP camps.
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The charcoal economy—now intertwined with land grabs—continues to fund non-state armed actors, undermining federal authority.
This interconnected web of environmental degradation, human rights abuse, and economic exploitation deepens Somalia’s fragility and directly contradicts international efforts toward climate resilience and sustainable development.
5. Governance and Security Implications
The UAE’s continued engagement with regional powerholders like Ahmed Madobe, coupled with its tolerance of illicit trade, undermines Somalia’s federal cohesion.
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Parallel governance systems in Jubaland challenge the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS).
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Revenue from land and charcoal exploitation fuels militia activity and weakens national oversight.
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The resulting instability indirectly benefits al-Shabaab, which continues to tax charcoal movements and exploit displacement for recruitment.
Thus, while framed as “developmental aid,” UAE financial flows have effectively strengthened factional control and fueled conflict economies—contradicting both UN sanctions and international peacebuilding objectives.
6. Recommendations
a. International Accountability
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The United Nations Security Council and European Union should investigate UAE financial links to the Jubaland administration and potential violations of Resolution 2036.
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Sanctions should target individuals and companies involved in land seizures, forced evictions, and illicit exports.
b. Protection for Environmental Defenders
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Urgent protection mechanisms should be activated for defenders like Ahmed Mohamed Nuh, including temporary relocation and legal aid.
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The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders should issue immediate calls for accountability.
c. Environmental Governance
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The Federal Government of Somalia, supported by UNEP and regional partners, must implement a transparent environmental monitoring system for forestry and land use in Jubaland.
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All foreign-funded projects should undergo independent environmental and human rights due diligence before approval.
d. Community Restitution
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Displaced families from Buulagaduud must receive land restitution and compensation through a justice mechanism coordinated by Somali authorities and international partners.
7. Conclusion
Seven years after the 2018 Hiiraan Online report, the UAE’s involvement in Somalia remains a study in contradictions—publicly promoting humanitarianism while privately funding activities that destroy livelihoods, silence activists, and empower armed elites and their militias to sustain wars and revive societal division.
The situation in Buulagaduud shows that the transition from illicit charcoal to foreign-financed land capture represents not progress but a new form of exploitation and blatant violation of human rights in side Somalia by a foreign entity called UAE. If Somalia is to achieve peace, environmental security, and genuine development, foreign complicity in conflict economies must end, and those defending the environment must be protected—not punished.
Prepared by:
Africa Academy of Diplomacy (AAD)
October 2025
Based on original findings by:
Rose Worden, “The UAE still supports al-Shabaab through Somalia’s illicit charcoal trade,” Hiiraan Online, March 5, 2018.
(https://hiiraan.com/op4/2018/mar/157048/the_uae_still_supports_al_shabaab_through_somalia_s_illicit_charcoal_trade.aspx)
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