Egypt delivered its first military aid to Somalia in over four decades on Tuesday, according to three diplomatic and Somali government sources. This move is likely to heighten tensions between Egypt, Somalia, and Ethiopia.
The delivery follows the signing of a security pact between Egypt and Somalia earlier this month, amid rising tensions over Ethiopia’s preliminary deal with Somaliland. The deal involves leasing coastal land in exchange for potential recognition of Somaliland’s independence from Somalia, which the Mogadishu government has condemned as an assault on its sovereignty.
Egypt, long at odds with Ethiopia over the construction of a massive dam on the Nile, has criticized the Somaliland deal and strengthened ties with Somalia, offering to send troops to a new peacekeeping mission in the country.
Somalia, in response to the Somaliland deal, has threatened to expel Ethiopia’s up to 10,000 troops, who are in the country as part of peacekeeping efforts and bilateral agreements to combat al Shabaab militants, if the deal is not canceled.
On Tuesday, two Egyptian military planes arrived at Mogadishu airport carrying weapons and ammunition, according to two diplomats and a senior Somali official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
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