Egypt

Somalia receives military aid from Egypt amid tensions

Africa /

Somalia received a large consignment of military equipment on Monday from Egypt amid tensions with a breakaway territory of the East African country.  An Egyptian military cargo ship docked at the port of Mogadishu accompanied by a small warship which provided escort and security. The shipment is the largest since the UN arms embargo was lifted last December. The military aid included heavy artillery and anti-tank weapons, according to local media. The Somali government has not explicitly confirmed or denied the military aid, but Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, who visited Mogadishu’s seaport on Monday, thanked Egypt. “Somalia has passed the stage where they were dictated to and awaited the affirmation of others on who it will engage with,” Nur said in a brief statement on X. He added that Mogadishu knows its “own interests, and we will choose between our allies and our enemies.” The military supplies come amid tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia over Addis Ababa’s sea access deal with Somalia’s breakaway territory of Somaliland. The region has expressed grave concern over the supply of heavy weapons to Somalia by Egypt, which it said jeopardizes the security of a region already facing complex security challenges. It said the unchecked proliferation of arms in an already fragile environment heightens the risk of an arms race, with various factions likely seeking to acquire their own stockpiles to safeguard their interests.

Somalia receives military aid from Egypt amid tensions Read More »

Blinken to head to Egypt to discuss Gaza cease-fire, hostage deal

World /

 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt this week to attend the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue and discuss ongoing efforts to reach a Gaza cease-fire and hostage deal. Blinken will depart Tuesday for Egypt, where he will co-chair the opening of the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, aiming to “strengthen the bilateral relationship and deepen economic development,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. “In addition to co-chairing the strategic dialogue, the Secretary will meet with Egyptian officials to discuss ongoing efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza that secures the release of all hostages, alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people, and helps establish broader regional security,” he added. The visit, Blinken’s 10th to the Middle East since Oct. 7 last year, comes as the US, along with Qatar and Egypt, are working to secure a cease-fire and hostage swap deal between Israel and Hamas. US President Joe Biden said on May 31 that Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange, the Israeli military’s withdrawal from Gaza, a surge in aid and a permanent end to hostilities. A bridging proposal put forward by the US, Egypt and Qatar on Aug. 16 aimed to bridge the gaps over the prisoner exchange. However, critics argue that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor, a strategic border area between Gaza and Egypt, has complicated potential prisoner exchange deals with Hamas. Hamas continues to demand a full Israeli withdrawal from the enclave and the return of displaced Palestinians. While US officials say that 90% of the terms of a Gaza cease-fire and hostage deal have been agreed upon, Netanyahu rejects their assessment that a deal is close. Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack last year by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed 1,139 people and led to the taking of around 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Since then, more than 41,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and nearly 94,400 injured, according to Gaza health authorities.​​​​​​​ Israel currently holds at least 9,500 Palestinian prisoners, while it estimates that 101 Israeli hostages are being held in Gaza, an unknown number of whom are believed to have been killed while in captivity.

Blinken to head to Egypt to discuss Gaza cease-fire, hostage deal Read More »

Scroll to Top