Egypt has delivered a substantial shipment of weapons to Somalia. The shipment includes anti-aircraft guns and artillery. An Egyptian warship made this delivery, likely heightening tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia. This year, Egypt and Somalia strengthened their relations due to shared concerns about Ethiopia. After signing a joint security pact in August, Egypt sent several planeloads of arms to Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital.
Ethiopia angered Somalia by agreeing in January to lease land to Somaliland for a port. Somalia views this as a threat to its sovereignty. Egypt condemned the deal and continues its conflict with Ethiopia over a massive hydro dam on the Nile River.
The delivery began on Sunday. Security forces secured the area as convoys transported the weapons to military sites. Egyptian authorities did not comment on the shipment.
Ethiopia has about 3,000 soldiers in Somali as part of an African Union peacekeeping mission against Islamist insurgents. It also has an additional 5,000-7,000 troops in other regions under a bilateral agreement. Somalia demands that Ethiopia withdraw its troops by the end of the year unless it cancels the Somaliland deal. Ethiopia claims it cannot remain idle while others threaten regional stability.
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