Egypt confirms delivery of Second Weapons Shipment to Somalia

CAIRO, Egypt - Military officials in Somalia confirmed the delivery of a cache of weapons by an Egyptian warship, noting that anti-aircraft guns and artillery were part of the cache which arrived in the country over the weekend after the signing of a defence deal between the two countries.

The deal between Egypt and Somalia caused anxiety in Ethiopia, which has been having issues with the two countries. Ethiopia provoked Somalia after signing a deal with Somaliland, which gave it 20 kilometres of access to the Red Sea in exchange for recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign state.

On the other hand, Egypt is at loggerheads with Ethiopia over the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam, which Cairo says would dry the Nile River downstream thus impacting lives in the northern African country.

The Egyptian warship began unloading the weapons on Sunday, one diplomat said. Security forces blocked off the quayside and surrounding roads on Sunday and Monday as convoys carried the weapons to a defence ministry building and nearby military bases, two port workers and two military officials told Reuters.

“A shipment of Egyptian military aid has arrived in the Somali capital Mogadishu to support and build the capabilities of the Somali army,” Egypt’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday. Somaliland has raised concerns, arguing that the weapons could land in the hands of Al-Shabaab.

The shipment “reaffirms Egypt’s ongoing central role in supporting Somali efforts to develop the national capabilities necessary to fulfil the aspirations of the Somali people for security, stability, and development,” the statement added.

Ethiopia is a major security stakeholder in Somalia having dispatched over 5,000 soldiers serving in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) but Mogadishu wants them out upon the expiry of the mission's tenure in December, and subsequent replacement by Egyptian troops.

Somalia accuses Ethiopia of annexation and violation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty, a claim that Addis Ababa denies. Ethiopia on the other hand accuses Somalia of siding with its 'enemies' and vowed to take action shortly.

Egypt has, meanwhile, offered to contribute troops to a new peacekeeping mission in Somalia, the African Union said in July, though Cairo has not commented on the matter publicly.

GAROWE ONLINE