Somalia has announced that Egypt has offered to deploy peacekeeping troops as part of a security partnership, as the mandate of the long-standing African Union peacekeeping mission in the Horn of Africa nation comes to an end.
On Thursday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi attended a summit in Asmara, the Eritrean capital, where he and the leaders of Somalia and Eritrea pledged close cooperation on regional security.
At the conclusion of the summit, Somali authorities issued a statement welcoming Egypt’s offer to send troops as part of a stabilization force when the African Union mission disbands in December.
The statement highlighted the leaders’ support for the African Union Peace and Security Council’s decision to launch the African Union Mission to Support Stabilization in Somalia (AUSSOM). Under this mandate, Egypt or other nations would contribute to the stabilization efforts.
A separate joint statement by Somalia, Egypt, and Eritrea affirmed Somalia’s sovereign right to determine the composition, tasks, and deployment timeline for the AUSSOM peacekeeping force.
Since 2007, Somalia’s federal government has been backed by an African Union peacekeeping mission in its fight against the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaida and responsible for numerous deadly attacks in the country.
The Asmara summit followed a period of regional tensions involving Ethiopia.
One key dispute is between Ethiopia and Egypt over Ethiopia’s construction of the $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile. Egypt fears the dam will severely impact its water and irrigation supply unless Ethiopia addresses Egypt’s concerns. Ethiopia, however, sees the dam as essential for generating electricity.
Another dispute involves Ethiopia and Somalia, centered on Somaliland, a region that declared independence from Somalia more than 30 years ago but is not internationally recognized. Somalia opposes Ethiopia’s attempts to gain access to the Red Sea through Somaliland in exchange for recognizing Somaliland’s independence, as Somalia still considers the region part of its territory.
