BBC: How the crisis in the Gulf could spread to East Africa
A crisis in the Gulf has had an unexpected consequence - a rush to build ports all down the Somali coast. But, as Mary Harper writes, some fear it could tear the Horn of Africa apart.
Somaliland's port town of Berbera is sleepy and somewhat scruffy. Paintings of fish, crabs and sailboats adorn the faded buildings. Tangled nets lie in the sandy streets.
It is hard to imagine that this charming seaside town is at the centre of an almighty row between Somalia and this self-declared republic which broke away in 1991 but has not been recognised internationally.
This dispute is part of a far wider problem. A crisis in the Gulf is playing out in dramatic form in Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa. Some argue it could tear the whole region apart.
After nearly 30 years of conflict and instability, Somalia is particularly vulnerable.
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WNU Editor: Of the two Somaliland is far more stable than Somalia, and will probably be able to maintain its independence from Mogadishu for the foreseeable future. But Middle Eastern governments are now looking at the Horn of Africa as a place to expand their influence, and they positioning themselves to do just that.
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