The Somali government has defended its recent security agreement with Egypt, describing it as comparable to its partnerships with the U.S., Turkey, the European Union, and Gulf states. Hussein Sheikh Ali, Somalia’s National Security Advisor, confirmed that Egyptian forces will contribute to the African Union’s AUSSOM mission, which supports stabilizing Somalia after ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia).
He emphasized that any decisions regarding AU forces are made solely by the Somali government, and it is Somalia’s prerogative to decide whether Egyptian forces will be deployed or not.
In September, Egypt sent Somalia a second shipment of arms, including anti-aircraft, anti-tank weapons, and artillery, as part of the bilateral agreement.
Additionally, Somalia’s Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur reiterated that Ethiopian forces would not participate in the upcoming AUSSOM mission unless Ethiopia withdraws from its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Somaliland.
