How Abu Dhabi built an axis of secessionists across the region | Andreas Krieg | MEE Opinion

In this opinion video, Dr Andreas Krieg explains how Abu Dhabi has built an “axis of secessionists” across the Middle East and Africa - supporting non-state actors in Libya, Yemen, Sudan and Somalia to expand its strategic reach.

Like Iran’s axis of resistance, he says, Abu Dhabi has built a decentralised network of armed groups, warlords, financiers and traders - embedded in separatist causes and operating with autonomy, yet still tied to Emirati infrastructure.

Krieg traces this strategy back to the Arab Spring, when Abu Dhabi moved to contain Islamic civil society and Islamist non-state actors by backing rival forces. He details how it supported Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army, the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen, the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan and separatist entities in Somalia.

He highlights the role of Abu Dhabi’s ruling elite in building parallel networks of financial, military and logistical support. He calls this “weaponised interdependence”: local actors rely on Emirati backing, while Abu Dhabi gains strategic depth and leverage.

He concludes that this network has elevated Abu Dhabi into an indispensable regional broker - able to shape outcomes across key conflict zones while maintaining plausible deniability.

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