Egypt on final plans ahead of troops deployment to Somalia amid tension with Ethiopia

CAIRO - The government of Egypt is finalising plans for the deployment of troops to Somalia, following a meeting between the country's Foreign Affairs minister, Badr Abdelatty, with his Somali counterpart, Abdelsalam Abdi Ali.

At the sidelines of the fifth Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development, the two leaders discussed the ongoing arrangements for deployment of the troops under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).

Badr reaffirmed Cairo’s commitment to supporting efforts to strengthen security and stability in Somalia and across the Horn of Africa. Egypt's request for approval of the deployment of troops to Somalia was ratified a few months ago.

The Egyptian minister expressed hopes that the deployment of the troops would be finalised soon, moments after its delegation visited Somalia, where Forward Operating Bases were identified ahead of the arrival of the troops.

The talks also addressed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, development, and health. Abdelatty proposed holding the second Egypt–Somalia Business Forum in the near future to further expand economic relations.Abdelatty proposed holding the second Egypt–Somalia Business Forum in the near future to further expand economic relations.

There has been pressure from Ethiopia to have Egyptian troops dropped from the mission, but Somalia maintains that Cairo has a stake in contributions towards its stability. Ethiopia maintains that the arrival of Egyptian troops could derail the fight against Al-Shabaab.

However, the two countries are in reality facing sharp fallout over the recent construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam along the Blue Nile River, with Egypt accusing Ethiopia of refusing to honour the Nile Treaty, adding that the project affects the downstream flow of the Nile River.

GAROWE ONLINE