An Egyptian warship has delivered a second cache of weapons to Somalia, including anti-aircraft guns and artillery, according to port and military officials on Monday.
On Sunday, the warship began unloading the latest shipment of weapons in Somalia, according to one diplomat, Reuters reported. This move is expected to heighten tensions between Egypt, Somalia, and Ethiopia.
Relations between Egypt and Somalia have strengthened this year, driven by their mutual distrust of Ethiopia. Following a joint security agreement signed in August, two Egyptian C-130 military aeroplanes with multiple shipments of arms arrived in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
Relations between Egypt and Ethiopia have been strained since 2011 due to Ethiopia’s construction and filling of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, a project that Egypt views as a serious threat to its water and food security.
In January, Ethiopia further angered Somalia by signing a preliminary agreement with the breakaway region of Somaliland, leasing land for a port in exchange for potential recognition of Somaliland’s independence from Somalia.
This move has not only deepened the rift between Ethiopia and Somalia but also drawn Egypt and Somalia closer together, united by their shared concerns over Ethiopia’s regional ambitions.
Ethiopia currently has at least 3,000 soldiers stationed in Somalia as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission (ATMIS), tasked with combating Islamist insurgents, while an estimated 5,000-7,000 troops are deployed in other regions under a bilateral agreement.
Somalia has called the Somaliland deal an assault on its sovereignty and has demanded that all Ethiopian troops leave by the end of the year unless Addis Ababa cancels the agreement.
Meanwhile, Egypt, which opposes Ethiopia’s involvement in the Somaliland deal, has offered to contribute troops to a new peacekeeping mission in Somalia, according to a July statement from the African Union, though Egypt has not officially confirmed this.
The Ethiopian government on its end has previously stated that it cannot stand by while “other actors” take steps that could destabilize the region.
