Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli has promised that Egypt will keep supporting Somalia. In a meeting with Somali Ambassador Elias Sheikh Omar Abu Bakr on Sunday, Madbouli said that a stable Somalia is important for the whole region’s security. He also wants to strengthen the cooperation between Egypt and Somalia.
Ambassador Abu Bakr, who is finishing his time in Egypt, thanked Egyptian institutions for their help. He said Somalia still needs Egypt’s assistance because of its ongoing political and security problems. He also noted that Somalia needs continuous support from Arab countries, especially Egypt.
This promise of support comes during rising tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia. Earlier this year, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said that Egypt would not accept any threats to Somalia’s security. This statement followed Ethiopia’s agreement with Somaliland to set up a maritime base and use the port of Berbera, which Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud criticized as illegal.
These events add to the strained relations between Egypt and Ethiopia, mainly because of their long-standing disagreements over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile. For more than ten years, Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia have been unable to agree on how to operate and fill the dam, which is a major regional issue.
