An Egyptian warship has delivered a significant shipment of military equipment to Somalia, according to security officials in Mogadishu. Somali Defence Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur expressed gratitude towards Egypt in a statement, without explicitly naming the weaponry involved.
This marks the second military delivery from Egypt within a month, coinciding with a downturn in relations between Somalia and Ethiopia, once a close ally. Historically a rival to Ethiopia, Egypt is leveraging this opportunity to strengthen ties with Somalia amid rising tensions in the Horn of Africa.
The military cargo, which arrived on Sunday, reportedly contained anti-aircraft guns and artillery. Eyewitnesses in Mogadishu confirmed that weapons were seen being transported through city streets. Minister Nur’s statement highlighted Somalia’s determination to shape its own alliances, asserting, “Somalia has passed the stage where they were dictated to,” and emphasized the nation’s ability to choose its partners wisely.
This shift in alliances stems from Ethiopia’s long-standing support of Mogadishu in countering the al-Qaeda-affiliated group al-Shabab. However, Somalia’s anger is palpable over Ethiopia’s recent preliminary deal with Somaliland—an entity Somalia considers part of its territory—for leasing coastal land.
The friction is compounded by a decade-long dispute between Addis Ababa and Cairo over Ethiopia’s hydroelectric dam on the Nile River, which Egypt fears could threaten its water supply. Somaliland, which lacks international recognition, has expressed alarm over the influx of arms, warning that this could initiate an arms race in the volatile region.
This is not the first occasion that Egypt has supplied arms to Somalia; in August, two military aircraft from Egypt delivered arms as part of an agreement made during Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s visit to Cairo. At that time, Ethiopia indicated it would not remain passive while regional stability was jeopardized.
Somalia’s defence minister retorted, urging Ethiopia to cease its complaints, implying that the consequences of their actions would ultimately come to bear. Currently, Ethiopia maintains 3,000 troops in Somalia as part of an African Union mission, while plans are underway for the potential deployment of up to 5,000 Egyptian soldiers in a restructured African Union force later this year.
