The presidents of Egypt, Eritrea, and Somalia reached an agreement on Thursday to enhance cooperation in strengthening the Somali army’s efforts against terrorism and securing its land and maritime borders, according to a joint statement.
This move further isolates Ethiopia, which has thousands of troops stationed in Somalia to combat al Qaeda-linked insurgents, Reuters reported.
Tensions between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu have escalated due to Ethiopia’s plans to construct a port in Somaliland, a breakaway region. The new security pact is likely to unsettle Ethiopia.
The rift has pushed Somalia closer to Egypt, a country that has long been at odds with Ethiopia over Addis Ababa’s construction of a massive hydroelectric dam on the Nile River.
Ethiopia recently warned Somalia over its arms shipment agreement with Egypt, cautioning that the supply of ammunition could complicate efforts to address potential conflicts in the region.
Ethiopia currently has around 3,000 soldiers deployed in Somalia as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission (ATMIS) to combat Islamist insurgents. However, Somalia has threatened to expel Ethiopian troops by the end of the year if Ethiopia does not abandon its controversial port deal with Somaliland.
Ethiopia has also strained relations with Eritrea in recent years, excluding Asmara from peace talks that ended the conflict with Tigray’s regional forces, despite the two countries having fought alongside each other during the war.
