Somalia’s Defense Minister has officially announced that the Ethiopian army will not be part of the new African Union support and stabilization mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).

The Somali government has long expressed its desire for the Ethiopian army, which has been maintaining peace in Somalia for over fifteen years, to withdraw from its territory. The main reason for this decision is that Ethiopia has made agreements with Somaliland, a Defacto state, to gain access to the coast and grant nationality recognition.

High-ranking Somali officials, including the country’s president, have accused Ethiopia of violating Somalia’s sovereignty in recent months and have called for the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops. Somalia has confirmed that the Ethiopian army will not participate in the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which will replace the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in January.

According to AFP, Somalia’s Defense Minister Abdukadir Mohamed Noor has confirmed that the Ethiopian army will not be part of the new mission. He stated in Mogadishu, “We can confirm that Ethiopian forces will not be involved in the African Union mission in Somalia next year.”

Highlighting Ethiopia’s violation of Somalia’s sovereignty as the reason for the decision, the defense minister mentioned that the list of countries participating in the new mission will be announced soon. Various soldiers from Horn of Africa and East African countries, including Ethiopia, have been serving in Somalia under the African Union umbrella, fighting against Al-Shabaab and protecting the Somali government.

Reportedly, Ethiopia has deployed approximately 3,000 soldiers through the African Union and 7,000 soldiers through a bilateral agreement with Somalia’s government. meanwhile in an interview, the defense minister stated, “As far as we know, Ethiopia is the only country not participating in the new [African Union] mission among those with troops in Somalia.”

Tensions between Ethiopia and Somaliland, along with Egypt’s involvement due to the Renaissance Dam conflict, have escalated. Egypt has expressed solidarity with Somalia against the agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland and has signed a military cooperation agreement with Somalia. Egypt has also indicated its desire to deploy troops in the African Union’s support and stabilization mission in Somalia, a move opposed by Ethiopia as a security threat and potential destabilization of the region.

Before Somalia’s official declaration on the exclusion of Ethiopian troops from the African Union mission, the Foreign Ministry had stated that Somalia would take into account its national interest and sovereignty in deciding which countries to participate in the peacekeeping mission.

Somalia’s Minister of Defense, Abdukadir Mohamed Noor, announced plans to invite countries to participate in the four-year mission starting from the coming European New Year. He noted that there will be differences in the new African Union mission compared to the previous one, including a reduction in the number of troops and deployment locations.

Currently, countries deploying troops in Somalia include Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Burundi, and Uganda.