CAIRO – Egypt is beefing up its military presence in Somalia to take part in a new African Union mission to fight the terrorist group Al Shabab, ferrying troops there by sea and air in what sources and analysts say is a significant step in Cairo’s efforts to broaden its footprint in the strategic Horn of Africa region.
The move, they said, is also a milestone in Egypt’s decade-long tussle with Somalia’s neighbour Ethiopia over a large Nile dam that Addis Ababa is building and which Cairo views as an existential threat to its water security.
At Somalia’s request, the Egyptian troops are replacing the Ethiopian contingent in an AU mission that is being replaced, giving Cairo a significant military presence across the border from Ethiopia that could potentially pressure Addis Ababa to show flexibility over the water dispute.
Egypt and Somalia signed a military co-operation agreement this year. Under that accord, Egypt deployed several thousand troops who are serving as military advisers to Somalia’s security forces and providing security for the country’s top leaders, their families and key state facilities.
The new AU mission was agreed by the UN Security Council on Friday in a resolution adopted by 14 of its 15 member states. The United States abstained due to reservations about funding.
The foreign ministers of Egypt and Somalia confirmed Egypt’s role in the mission during talks in Cairo last week, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
“The participation of Egypt is a reflection of its genuine interest in African issues and its desire to maintain a positive presence in the continent’s trouble spots,” said Amany Al Taweel, an Egyptian expert on African affairs.
“We succeeded in this extremely important step at a time when everyone else is rushing to gain a foothold in Africa. That Ethiopia will not take part in the mission is another good aspect of the deployment because Addis Ababa has been a part of tensions in Somalia and because it failed to contain Al Shabab,” she said.
The new force – formally called the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom) – will replace the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis), whose mandate ended on Tuesday. Aussom is scheduled to be deployed in January.
Source: The National
