Somalia FM: We are under pressure to block Egyptian troops

MOGADISHU, Somalia—Somalia's Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi says the country has been under pressure for the last few months to block the planned deployment of Egyptian military personnel who are expected to join the fight against Al-Shabaab militants.

Egypt has declared its willingness to deploy troops to the country, with the expectation that they will help the 'brotherly nation' that has been undergoing turmoil for the last three decades. However, the country has yet to stabilize.

In a press conference, Fiqi, without mentioning the origin of the pressure, said many external forces who been pushing for the omission of Egypt in the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) arrangement.

"We have been experiencing pressure to block Egypt from participating in the peacekeeping mission," he said. "We are a resilient nation which believes in equal opportunities and there is no doubt that Somalia shall overcome this issue (insecurity)."

With the participation now guaranteed, the Egyptian troops shall join and execute responsibilities based on the framework of the military pact between the two countries which was signed sometime back in 2024.

"We have an active agreement with the Egyptian military and it's on this basis that they shall help us in execution of the responsibilities," Fiqi said, without revealing the exact date when the Egyptian military is expected in the country.

According to him, Egypt will contribute to qualifying, restructuring, and training the Somali National Army. Egypt is a strong supporter of the fight against Al-Shabaab and has already donated weapons to the Somali National Army (SNA).

Ethiopia had raised issues about the participation of Egypt in the Somalia mission but the outbursts were fuelled by the two countries's differences emanating from the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam, which Egypt believes drains water downstream in the Nile River.

GAROWE ONLINE