Mekelle, January 24, 2025— President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stated that Egypt’s military deployment under the new African Union Somalia Support and Stabilization Mission (AUSOM) does not have “the intention of threatening any country.” He made this statement during a joint press conference on Thursday, January 23, 2017, after receiving the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo.

His speech, reported by the Egyptian Information Service, explained that President al-Sisi had discussed the inclusion of the army in AUSOM during his fourth meeting with the President of Somalia since last January. Regarding the African Union’s Somalia Support and Stabilization Mission (AUSOM), he said, “Our participation is to bring security and stability in Somalia, not to threaten any country.” He added, “Our participation has a positive aspect. We are concerned about the situation in Somalia over the last 30 years. Our main mission is to show our solidarity with the people of Somalia.”

It is remembered that the United Nations Security Council recently approved the decision to replace the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). According to the decision, African Union member countries are allowed to deploy up to 12,000 security forces, including 1,040 police officers, in the new mission until the end of June. Ethiopia and Somalia have reached an agreement to work together on the new African Union Somalia Support and Stabilization Mission. And it is remembered that the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its statement issued at the end of December mentioned that the countries will cooperate on the mission. However, there is no word on the participation of Ethiopian troops in the newly deployed Somalia Support and Stabilization Mission.

Following the resolution of the dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia in the Ankara agreement, it was reported that Somalia is considering reversing its decision not to include Ethiopian soldiers in AUSSOM and is Considering their inclusion in the mission. Somali officials have repeatedly warned in the past that if Ethiopia does not cancel the sea gate memorandum of understanding agreement with Somaliland, which Somalia claims as part of its territory, its troops will not be included in the peacekeeping mission.

Somalia’s news agency, SONA, reported that Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who recently met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa following the Ankara agreement that eased the tension between Ethiopia and Somalia, left for Egypt on Thursday at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. SONA added that the Egyptian president had invited his Somali counterpart to discuss “strengthening joint efforts to fight terrorism and cooperation on security and peace in the region.”

It is said that in addition to the military agreement signed by the countries in the past, they have reached a joint political agreement that will elevate their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership in terms of political, cultural, and economic collaboration. The agreement includes the goal of holding an annual political conference at the leadership level to monitor the comprehensive relations between the two countries and explore measures to further enhance cooperation in various fields.

It is recalled that Ethiopia previously announced it would not remain silent in the face of steps taken to destabilize the Horn of Africa region. Ethiopia made this statement after two Egyptian warplanes loaded with soldiers and weapons reportedly arrived at Mogadishu airport at the end of last year.

Additionally, Ethiopia accused the Somali government of “working with foreign forces that want to destabilize the region.” However, during the current visit, the two leaders discussed various regional issues, including security and political situations in the Horn of Africa and the security of the Red Sea, according to a statement issued by President al-Sisi.

President al-Sisi also mentioned that the leaders of Somalia, Egypt, and Eritrea held a conference on October 10, 2024, in Asmara, which was expected to significantly improve relations and coordination between the countries. In their discussions, they explored ways to strengthen coordination on regional issues, focusing on supporting Somalia, which is fundamental to the stability of the Horn of Africa, according to a BBC report.

It is also noted that the dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia over the memorandum of understanding signed with Somaliland, which has declared its independence, has led Mogadishu to strengthen its relations with Egypt and Eritrea. Egypt and Eritrea have strained relations with Ethiopia for various reasons.