NAIROBI — Egypt and Somalia formalized a defense agreement on Wednesday, escalating an already tense relationship with Ethiopia.
The agreement followed a two-day visit to Cairo by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, during which he held extensive discussions with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The accord comes in the wake of Ethiopia’s recent agreement with Somaliland, an autonomous region that declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but remains unrecognized by the international community.
Under the January deal, Ethiopia gained access to 20 kilometers (approximately 12.43 miles) of Somali coastline, where it plans to establish a naval base—a move Somalia has condemned as an attempt to annex its territory.
In a statement released after the meeting, President Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s support for Somalia’s territorial integrity and criticized external interference in its affairs.
“Egypt stands firmly with Somalia in maintaining its unity and sovereignty,” Sisi said, underscoring his nation’s opposition to any violation of Somali territory.
President Mohamud, emphasizing the counterterrorism dimension of the pact, described it as “a testament to a future of common defense against the international terrorism we are combating both at home and abroad.”
Somalia has been grappling with a resurgence of violence by the extremist group Al-Shabaab, which recently carried out a devastating attack on Lido Beach in Mogadishu, killing 37 people and injuring over 200.
The defense pact also comes amid Egypt’s ongoing dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a massive hydropower project on the Blue Nile that Cairo fears could severely reduce its vital water supply.
The prospect of an Ethiopian naval base on Somali soil has raised further concerns in Egypt, which views it as a potential threat to its strategic interests in the Red Sea.
Ethiopia, a landlocked nation, currently relies on Djibouti for access to the Red Sea but has strained relations with Eritrea, its other coastal neighbor.
A naval presence in Somaliland would offer Ethiopia an alternative maritime route, challenging Egypt’s longstanding influence in the region.
Tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia over the proposed base have been simmering for months, with Egypt backing Somalia’s opposition to the plan.
The defense agreement between Cairo and Mogadishu was first hinted at in April, shortly after Somalia recalled its ambassador from Addis Ababa.
As the situation evolves, the defense pact marks a significant development in the increasingly complex geopolitical landscape of the Horn of Africa, where competing interests and alliances continue to shape the region’s future.
