Pakistan inks defence pact with Somalia amid Houthi threat in Bab al-Mandab | Gravitas

Since the last two weeks, the Bab al-Mandab Strait has emerged as the new flashpoint in West Asia, with Houthis declaring a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia. Amid this, Pakistan is trying to get a foothold in this strategic region by signing a defence agreement with Somalia.

The deal was signed during Somalian defence minister Ahmed Fiqi's visit to Pakistan, where he not only met his counterpart Khawaja Asif but also held separate meetings with the chiefs of the Pakistani army and navy.

Now, let's look at what the agreement looks like.

According to Somalia's defence ministry, it entails strengthening cooperation in security and military capability development.

The MOU also focuses on exchange of military knowledge and training between both sides.

Given the threat of terror outfit Al-Shabaab, the agreement's emphasis on fostering collaboration in counter-terrorism is also interesting.

However, neither side has thrown clarity on whether military purchases are part of the deal.

This assumes significance, as reports had earlier suggested that Somalia was in talks with Pakistan to purchase up to 24 JF-17 fighter jets in a defence deal worth around 900 million US Dollars.

Additionally, no timeline has been specified as well.

But, why is this deal garnering traction?

Somalia is a key player in maritime trade and shipping, as it is adjacent to the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and Indian Ocean.

Thus, even without military presence per se, an agreement could help Pakistan enhance its diplomatic prowess in wake of the ongoing Houthi threat.

The timing of this MOU is also key.

It comes days after Somalia and Pakistan joined a Saudi Arabia-led maritime defence alliance.

This group of fourteen countries have come together to secure navigation around Bab al-Mandab, which caters to nearly 7% of global crude oil trade.

The new military partnerships in the region come at a time when Houthis have intensified their attacks on vessels travelling to and from Saudi Arabian ports.

A day earlier, it attacked a Saudi oil tanker with ballistic missiles.

Earlier this week, an Indian-flagged commercial vessel sank in the Red Sea after coming under attack from this Iran-backed group.

This also marks Pakistan's growing defence footprint in Africa.

In December last year, Islamabad's ambitions came to the fore when it reached a deal worth four billion US Dollars to sell military equipment such as JF-17 fighter jets to the Libyan national army.

However, it reportedly put a 1.5 billion US Dollar deal to supply weapons and jets to Sudan on hold after Saudi Arabia's intervention.

Pakistan's latest move is also seen as a part of its larger bid to showcase its military prowess globally.

Last year, it inked a strategic mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia.

The two countries pledged that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both.

Pakistani army chief Asim Munir has deployed thousands of troops, fighter jets and air defence systems to Saudi Arabia.

In July, Kuwait ratified a defence agreement signed with Pakistan three years ago.

As per reports, the pact established a framework for cooperation between Pakistani and Kuwaiti armed forces in areas such as training, intelligence sharing, logistics and military manufacturing.

With Saudi Arabia reportedly planning a land operation against Houthis and strengthening of military ties on the other side, speculation is rife yet again as to whether Pakistan will intervene militarily in West Asia.