Egypt has delivered military aid to Somalia for the first time in more than four decades, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing three diplomatic and Somali government sources. The support comes in the wake of a maritime dispute between Mogadishu and Ethiopia.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two Egyptian military planes arrived at the airport in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, on Tuesday morning, loaded with weapons and ammunition.
Cairo struck a defense agreement with Mogadishu in January to strengthen the East African nation’s military capacity after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warned that his government would not tolerate anyone threatening Somalia’s security or infringing on its territory.
The security cooperation came in response to the Somali government’s previous appeal for international support against Ethiopia for reaching a deal with breakaway Somaliland to lease 20km (12 miles) of coastal land. The January 1 pact would allow the landlocked state to gain access to the Red Sea and build a marine force base, reportedly in exchange for recognition of Somaliland’s independence.
Mogadishu, which considers Somaliland to be part of its territory despite the region declaring de facto independence in 1991, rejected the port access deal, calling it an act of aggression and a threat to its sovereignty.
While pledging support for Somalia at the time, Cairo, which is also embroiled in a years-long dispute with Ethiopia over the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, accused Addis Ababa of being a source of regional instability.
Ethiopia has consistently rejected the allegations. Redwan Hussien, the national security adviser to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, described condemnations of the deal as “jingoism” designed to sow discord and chaos.
In June, Mogadishu threatened to expel thousands of Ethiopian soldiers involved in fighting the terrorist group al-Shabaab in Somalia ahead of a new African Union-led mission if Addis Ababa failed to annul the agreement with the breakaway region. It had previously dismissed Ethiopia’s ambassador and last week threatened to ban Ethiopian Airlines from its territory, claiming that Africa’s largest flight operator had undermined Somali sovereignty.
Egypt has reportedly offered to contribute troops to the AU peacekeeping force in the conflict-torn Horn of Africa nation.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry accused Somalia of “colluding with external actors aiming to destabilize the region,” despite “tangible progress” in Turkish-mediated talks between the two countries to resolve the maritime dispute.
Addis Ababa has warned that the new mission poses a threat to the East African region, claiming that concerns raised by Ethiopia and other regional troop contributors have not been addressed.
“Ethiopia cannot stand idle while other actors are taking measures to destabilize the region. Ethiopia is vigilantly monitoring developments in the region that could threaten its national security,” the ministry said.