We have a responsibility to protect Somalia, Egypt maintains

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The government of Egypt maintains it has a responsibility to protect Somalia from impending aggression, arguing that international laws permit such occurrences strictly in line with the United Nations Security Council approval.

Egypt has agreed to support the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) which replaces the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) from January 2025 but the request has been opposed by Ethiopia, a major stakeholder in Somalia’s quest for stability.

Badr Abdelatty, Egypt's Foreign Affairs minister, says the African Union has backed the move to dispatch troops to Somalia, necessitating the deployment of the first batch to the Horn of Africa nation.

"There is an Egyptian responsibility to impose Somalia's will and sovereignty over all its territories by international law," he said. "The African Peace and Security Council welcomed Egypt's participation in the new mission that will be sent to Somalia to replace the current mission."

Cairo notes that the allegations Somalia have not acknowledged the participation were 'untrue', adding that the recent conference in Asmara that brought together Somalia, Egypt, and Eritrea finalized the agreement, which has the full backing of Mogadishu.

-"The bilateral statement issued by the Egyptian President and his Somali counterpart on the sidelines of the Asmara Summit was clear and responded to the allegations of one of the parties when it claimed that there was no welcome or request from the legitimate government regarding Egyptian participation in the new peacekeeping mission," he added.

"The bilateral statement was very clear and spoke about the Somali government’s welcome and desire for the Egyptian presence and contribution of the Egyptian armed forces to the African Union peacekeeping mission."

But the presence of the troops, he added, would strictly conform to the standards set by the United Nations Security Council, which authenticates such approvals.

"Any Egyptian presence will be within the framework of this mission, and before this mission begins its duties and is deployed, it will have a clear mandate approved by the UN Security Council," the diplomat further added.

GAROWE ONLINE