Click to see full-size image. (Screengrab/Egyptian Ministry of Defense)
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attended a ceremony for Egyptian forces preparing to participate in the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), amid rapid development in the relations between the two countries in the face of challenges posed by Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia.
The ceremony was attended by Egypt’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Minister of Defense and Military Production Abdel Meguid Saqr, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Ahmed Khalifa and a number of senior military commanders.
Video footage of the ceremony released by the Egyptian Ministry of Defense on February 11 confirmed that Egypt will be sending warplanes to Somalia.
The footage shows AT-802U attack planes, Mi-24 attack helicopters, Mi-17 transport helicopters, in addition to a wide array of locally-made drones, some armed.
The Egyptian MoD said that a comprehensive briefing outlining the preparation and readiness measures undertaken by the forces set to join AUSSOM was delivered during the ceremony.
Sheikh Mohamud on February 8 met with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who reaffirmed Egypt’s “categorical rejection” of any actions that could threaten Somalia’s security, stability, or territorial integrity.
The Egyptian president also underscored Cairo’s commitment to supporting stability in the Horn of Africa and deepening cooperation with Somalia across political, security, and development spheres.
Egypt was among the first countries to slam the Israeli decision to formally recognize Somaliland, a breakaway region in northern Somalia as an independent and sovereign state last December. The UAE, which maintains vast investments in the region, is alleged to have played a role in the decision.
By deploying its forces in Somalia, Egypt will be able to counter the influence of both Israel and the UAE in Somaliland.
Cairo, however, has another important goal. Only half of the 10,000 troops it is planning to send to Somalia will serve with AUSSOM. The other half will work independently in Somalia’s Hiiraan region, which borders Ethiopia.
Tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) renewed over the past year. Cairo still views the dam a threat to its water security. However, Addis Ababa insists that the dam is necessary for its energy needs and claims that it won’t harm downstream nations.
The deployment of Egyptian forces in Somalia could give Cairo leverage in any future talks with Addis Ababa on the issue.
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the game is rigged, the fix is in. egypt receives massive foreign aid subsidies from the usa. greater israel is its master. somalians are in danger. israel is just building another military base for the epstein mafia to control africa and the middle east. a shipping choke point
in direct line of fire for ansar allah
during the israeli genocide in gaza, we saw nothing of that camel sissi, strange, isn’t it? submissive to their master israel.
its not that you saw much of anyone besides the now much reduced axis of resistance. oh and maduro said something and went to prison for it.
freedom my ass! egypt == israel
jews are popping up in all the wrong places
token gesture. you know you’re going to need a lot more than that to counter fakesrael, uae and ethiopia. they probably have every one of those aircraft mapped and targeted already.