COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

DEPARTEMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Name:-Biniyam Assefa

ID No:-UGR/4208/13

SUBMITTED TO: Dr. yonas

SUBMISSION DATE: 24/01/2023

At approximately 12,000 square kilometers, Qatar is the third smallest country in the Middle
East after Kuwait and Bahrain. The country, which gained independence in 1971, operates in a
geopolitically turbulent and economically contested region. It borders Saudi Arabia and Iran, the
historically significant, more populous, geographically larger, politically hostile, diplomatically
influential and militarily strong countries. Despite being a small country in a dangerous region,
Qatar has regional ambitions. Diplomatically, she has outweighed her weight by acting as a
mediator in conflicts in the Horn of Africa.

Qatar's foreign policy is largely designed and driven by Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al
Thani. His two most representative countries in his calculations are the United States and Saudi
Arabia. He seeks to keep the United States as a protector and ally against foreign aggression and
prevent the Saudis from resuming policies that undermine his regime. Qatar has pursued an
aggressive policy of mediation across the region to establish itself as a major player in Arab
politics. pursued a foreign policy.

Qatar is beginning to play an influential role in the security and diplomacy of the Horn of
Africa. It previously had close ties with Sudan and Eritrea, but has recently repaired its troubled
bilateral ties with Ethiopia and is providing financial support to the current government of
Somalia. It has successfully mediated disputes between Eritrea and Sudan, and between Eritrea
and Djibouti. In addition, Qatar has moderated somewhat clumsily in Sudan's Darfur conflict.

Of all the countries in the Horn of Africa, the one with which Qatar has the closest and longest
ties is Sudan. Qatar and Sudan have maintained high levels of political contact these days,
mainly for practical reasons. Pragmatism is two-way. Sudan faces many economic problems and
Qatar has recently become the most important donor country. After signing a series of
agreements in 2011, Qatar invested in Sudan's mining, real estate, agriculture and banking
industries. By 2012, this investment totaled over US$1.5 billion, plans to invest in major
agricultural and energy projects in Sudan.

Qatar's most notable mediation effort was the Darfur mediation. However, Overall, Qatar's
efforts have not been rewarded by significant improvements in Darfur. For example, members of
the Darfur negotiating team noted that the negotiations did not have an official scorekeeper, and
that the discussions He pointed out that it is almost impossible to recall exactly what took place
and considered the course of events: Darfur's mediation will build real political leverage with all
parties involved in Qatar. Doomed from the start because of the inability of the I lost my trust.
Qatari mediators made decisions and set deadlines without worrying about enforcement
mechanisms. And deadlines were missed, and options continued to run out.

In April 2008, the Ethiopian government cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, much to the surprise of
Qatari officials who didn't expect it to come. Ethiopia formally condemned Qatar in harsh terms
for making it "a major source of instability in the Horn of Africa". Ethiopia noted Qatar's close
ties with Eritrea. Ethiopia is particularly "concerned about the flow of money from Qatar to
Somalia's political elite," the Ethiopian source added.

In February 2012, Jasim, the former prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar, met his
former prime minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, in London on the sidelines of a peace
conference on Somalia, where he said the two leaders shared their views. appeared to have
agreed to settle their differences. resume diplomatic relations. In November 2012, Ethiopia and
Qatar officially resumed full diplomatic relations. After Jasim's visit to Addis Ababa, the two
countries signed several agreements. These agreements were primarily aimed at improving
economic cooperation and investment opportunities.

Qatar has realized that in the absence of a strong Somali leader and government, the only viable
way to advance its policies in Somalia is to actively engage Ethiopia. Trade Block,
Intergovernmental Development Agency (IGAD). Ethiopia has a stable political clout in Somalia
and a solid military presence that Qatar lacks despite all the resources at its disposal. In fact,
Ethiopia is the only country providing troops to the African Union peacekeeping mission in
Somalia and has recently strengthened and expanded its area of operations to put pressure on al-
Shabaab. Moreover, Ethiopia can turn the political situation in Somalia to its advantage. We
have been able to work with many political players and exert a favorable influence on political
developments. 'It is able to do this because 'it has an accurate understanding of the clan's
operations on the ground, it has a clear vision and an army on the ground, and [it] has agents
deep in Somalia.

It should be noted that Ethiopia understood that Qatar wanted to radically change course. She did
it because she didn't want to jeopardize Qatar's goodwill. They also understood that Qatar no
longer wanted to change the current dynamics and balance of power in the Horn of Africa, nor
did it want to antagonize Ethiopia. The feeling of incomprehension remains. Ethiopia is cold to
Qataris and intolerant to Eritrea and Somalia. They feel that Ethiopian politics is too secretive.
They believe that Ethiopians are stubborn people who do not tell others the truth.

Qatar's role in Eritrea is shrouded in mystery. Qatar, home to about 10,000 Eritreans, has
financed the construction of a large modern mosque in the town of Keren, which was
inaugurated in December 2010. In addition, Qatar Diar Property Investment Company has
donated nearly $50 million to build a luxury resort in Keren from Dahlak Kevir Island off the
coast of Eritrea in the Red Sea. The resort was completed in October 2012 and was featured in an
Al Jazeera article in November 2010. Qatar definitely has high-level access to the Eritrean
president and seems to have some influence over him. 2013 also saw “Eritrea-Qatar relations
suffer a serious deterioration. It's a problem between Us and Ertirea.

More generally, Qatar has been actively involved in politics in the Horn of Africa at a time of
heightened tensions both within and outside the country as it faces a series of new geopolitical
choices. These nations are interdependent but usually act as mortal enemies either directly or
through proxy. Fortunately, Qatar has invested heavily in its political capital in tenuous ties with
Sudan and, until recently, with Eritrea, which had been isolated regionally and internationally
and suffered the consequences. In fact, it has led to a needless deterioration in relations with
Egypt and Ethiopia, which have close ties with the United States. There is no doubt that former
Emir Hamad revolutionized Qatar's foreign policy and achieved international prominence. This
is made possible by the US Security Guarantee.
Reference
 Ben o'Bright, conceptualizing the Qatari-African foreign policy
 Bernard Haykel NOREF policy Brief Qatar's foreign policy, February 2013.
 Berouk mesfin, East Africa reports, Qatar’s diplomatic incursions into the horn of
Africa, November 2016, issue 8.