Somalia has announced that Egypt will deploy peacekeeping troops to support the fight against al-Shabab as part of a new security partnership. This comes as the mandate of the African Union’s longstanding peacekeeping mission in the country nears its end.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, attending a summit in Asmara, Eritrea, reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to strengthening regional security alongside Somalia and Eritrea. Somali officials expressed their support for Egypt’s involvement in a stabilization force set to replace the current African Union mission, which is set to dissolve in December.
The new mission, known as the African Union Stabilization Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), will allow Somalia to determine troop composition and deployment. Since 2007, Somalia has been battling the al-Qaeda-linked extremist group al-Shabab with the help of an African Union peacekeeping force.
The Asmara summit also addressed ongoing regional disputes. Tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia remain high over Ethiopia’s construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, which Egypt fears could reduce its water supply. Additionally, Ethiopia and Somalia are at odds over Somaliland, with Ethiopia seeking a naval base on its coast in exchange for recognizing Somaliland’s independence—something Somalia strongly opposes.