Somalia defends the security agreement with Egypt

Somalia defends the security agreement with Egypt

 The Somali government defended the recent security agreement signed with Egypt, describing it as similar to existing partnerships with the United States, Turkey, the European Union, and the Gulf states.

Somali National Security Advisor Hussein Sheikh Ali confirmed that Egyptian forces may participate in the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which is scheduled to replace the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) by January 2025.

He explained that the decision regarding the participation of Egyptian forces in this operation rests solely with the Somali federal government. In September, Egypt delivered a large shipment of weapons to Somalia, including anti-aircraft guns and artillery, as part of the security agreement between the two countries, much to Ethiopia's dismay.

Egypt and Djibouti also offered to contribute to the new African Union peacekeeping mission, which Somalia welcomed as part of its efforts to stabilize the country.

In a related context, the Somali Defense Minister, Abdelkader Mohamed Nour, explained that Ethiopian forces will not participate in the upcoming African Union mission to support Somalia unless they withdraw from the memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, which grants Ethiopia access to the Red Sea in the separate region, allowing... To build a naval base in exchange for diplomatic recognition.