By An Egyptian warship has delivered a second significant cache of weapons to Somalia, including anti-aircraft guns and artillery, according to port and military officials who spoke on Monday. This move is likely to exacerbate tensions between Somalia, Egypt, and Ethiopia in an already volatile region.
The delivery, which began unloading on Sunday, marks a deepening of ties between Egypt and Somalia. These relations have strengthened this year, driven by shared concerns over Ethiopia’s actions in the region. The arms shipment follows several planeloads of weapons sent to Mogadishu after the two countries signed a joint security pact in August.
Security forces cordoned off the quayside and surrounding roads on Sunday and Monday as convoys transported the weapons to a defense ministry building and nearby military bases, according to two port workers and two military officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Nasra Bashir Ali, an official in Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre’s office, posted a photo on social media platform X showing Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur observing the ship’s unloading process.
The arms delivery comes amid escalating regional tensions, particularly between Somalia and Ethiopia. In January, Ethiopia angered Mogadishu by reaching a preliminary agreement with the breakaway region of Somaliland to lease land for a port, potentially recognizing its independence from Somalia. Somalia views this deal as an assault on its sovereignty.
Egypt, which has been at odds with Ethiopia for years over the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile River, has publicly condemned the Somaliland deal. The dam project has been a source of significant tension between Egypt and Ethiopia, with Cairo concerned about its impact on water supply.
The regional dynamics are further complicated by the presence of Ethiopian troops in Somalia. Approximately 3,000 Ethiopian soldiers are stationed in Somalia as part of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), fighting Islamist insurgents. An additional estimated 5,000-7,000 Ethiopian troops are deployed in other regions under a bilateral agreement.
Somalia has called for all Ethiopian troops to leave by the end of the year unless Addis Ababa scraps the Somaliland agreement. Meanwhile, Egypt has offered to contribute troops to a new peacekeeping mission in Somalia, according to a July statement from the African Union, though Cairo has not publicly commented on this offer.
Ethiopian authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the arms shipment. However, they have previously stated that they cannot remain idle while “other actors” take measures to destabilize the region.
Egyptian authorities either declined to comment or did not immediately respond to inquiries about the weapons delivery.
