Regional powers vie in Somalia
Tensions are ratcheting up in the Horn of Africa over the deployment of Egyptian troops to Somalia. Ethiopia, Somalia's neighbor, isn’t happy. It has soldiers in Somalia acting as a buffer against al-Shabab insurgents, but now Mogadishu has asked them to withdraw. High-stakes strategic interests are at play. Ethiopia and Egypt have been locked in a long-standing dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Egypt regards as an existential threat. Meanwhile, landlocked Ethiopia has also enraged Somalia over its determination to find a port to lease. It has turned to the breakaway region of Somaliland, dangling the prospect of recognizing its independence—an absolute red line for Mogadishu. The new defense agreement between Egypt and Somalia has underlined just how serious the tensions are. Egypt is planning to send 5,000 soldiers to Somalia to join a new-look African Union force, with a separate 5,000 stationed on the Ethiopian border.
From The New Humanitarian, Sept. 6
See our last report on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Port deal eases tensions in Horn of Africa
Ethiopia and Somalia have agreed a deal that ends a bitter feud over Addis Ababa's plans to develop a port and naval base in the breakaway republic of Somaliland. The agreement, brokered in Turkey between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, ensures landlocked Ethiopia's access to the sea while respecting Somalia’s territorial sovereignty. Its details will be hammered out in technical talks beginning in February. The accord eclipses an earlier memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland that granted Addis Ababa access to the coast. The Ankara deal also clears the way for Ethiopian troops, battling the jihadist group al-Shabab, to remain in Somalia. Mogadishu had demanded their replacement with Egyptian forces as part of a new UN-approved mission. (TNH)