(Bloomberg) — Egypt has begun delivering weapons to Somalia and training its troops, a Somali official said, raising tensions in the Horn of Africa.
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The arms transfer follows a deal earlier this year for landlocked Ethiopia to recognize the sovereignty of Somaliland, which has declared independence from Somalia, in exchange for access to a port on the Gulf of Aden. In response, Somalia sought help from Egypt, signing a military cooperation pact earlier this month.
Ethiopia and Egypt are also at loggerheads over the construction of a giant hydroelectric dam on Ethiopia’s Blue Nile. The North African country has expressed concern that the reservoir could affect the flow of its main source of fresh water.
“Weapons and ammunition arrived yesterday,” Somali Foreign Minister Ali Mohamed Omar said by telephone about the Egyptian delivery. “The idea is to have internal training and Egypt will provide part of it.”
Since 2006, Somalia has relied on Ethiopian and other African troops to help it fight Islamist militant groups seeking to overthrow the government. While some 13,000 troops from the African Union peacekeeping mission are expected to leave by the end of the year, the continental body has approved the creation of a replacement force.
Somalia will “under no circumstances” allow Ethiopian soldiers to join the new peacekeeping mission unless Ethiopia cancels its deal with Somaliland, Omar said. Donor countries are still discussing the financing and composition of the new force, he said.
Ethiopia warned that the transition to a new peacekeeping force could increase tensions in the Horn of Africa, as it accused Somalia of “collaborating with external actors” to fuel instability. It did not specify which countries it was referring to.
“Ethiopia cannot sit idly by while other actors take measures to destabilize the region,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. “Forces that seek to stoke tensions for their short-term and futile goals must face serious consequences.”
–With assistance from Mirette Magdy and Fasika Tadesse.
(Updates with comments from Ethiopian Foreign Ministry in last paragraph)
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