Bosaso Facility (PMPF)

The UAE developed a significant military and security presence in Bosaso through its support for the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF). The PMPF maintains its own base in Bosaso, while the UAE has provided funding, training, equipment and military assistance to the force. This makes Bosaso an important example of an Emirati-supported military facility rather than a conventional UAE sovereign overseas base.

UAE involvement in Bosaso became particularly significant as Abu Dhabi expanded its security relationships around the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa. Emirati assistance to the PMPF included training and the provision of military equipment, strengthening Puntland's ability to conduct coastal security operations and counter piracy and other maritime threats. The UAE has also maintained access and advisory involvement around the PMPF infrastructure in Bosaso.

The Bosaso facility serves the Puntland Maritime Police Force as a base for maritime security operations along Puntland's coastline. Its location on the Gulf of Aden provides access to important shipping routes and gives the PMPF a forward position for coastal patrols, maritime law enforcement and responses to security incidents at sea. The facility is therefore part of a wider Puntland maritime-security structure rather than an isolated Emirati military installation.

UAE support has also included military logistics and the movement of equipment into Bosaso. In March 2020, a United Nations investigation documented the delivery of military equipment to the PMPF base and confirmed the presence of a UAE Air Force C-17 military transport aircraft on the Bosaso–Abu Dhabi route. The episode provides direct evidence of UAE military logistical support to the Bosaso facility.

The exact scope of the UAE's current military role in Bosaso is less clearly documented than the earlier period of direct Emirati support. Puntland continues to operate the PMPF and its maritime-security infrastructure, while more recent international reporting focuses on the force's own operations, training and institutional development. Bosaso is therefore best classified as a UAE-supported military facility with a Puntland operator, rather than described without qualification as a UAE military base.