Egypt will tell Somalia in talks this weekend that it wants the two allies to jointly steer a new African Union mission due to be deployed later this month to the Horn of Africa nation, sources have told The National.
Egypt sees its participation in the new AU mission in Somalia as a significant step in its efforts to broaden its footprint and gain an advantageous position in the strategic region, the sources said.
These efforts are designed largely to counter the influence of Ethiopia, with which Cairo has been locked in a decade-long dispute over a large Nile dam Addis Ababa is building, a project Cairo views as a serious threat to its water security.
Egypt already has access to military facilities in Eritrea and Djibouti, and has in recent years struck military co-operation accords with, besides Somalia, Nile basin states Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo – steps taken to bolster Cairo's presence in that part of Africa and pressure Addis Ababa to adopt a flexible position on the row over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Of these accords, the one Egypt and Somalia signed last year is by far the most comprehensive. Under its provisions, Egypt already has a military contingent in Somalia numbering in the low thousands.
Mostly drawn from elite units, the Egyptians are training Somalia's security forces in counterterrorism, securing key state installations and the safety of top government officials. It has also supplied Somalia with arms and is sharing intelligence with its fellow Arab League member.
Egypt has been beefing up its contingent there in anticipation of its participation in the new AU force authorised by the UN Security Council late last month and mandated to fight the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabab group.
Formally called the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom), the mission will replace the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis), the mandate of which ended on December 31.
Tensions between landlocked Ethiopia and Somalia flared a year ago after Addis Ababa signed a maritime deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland to gain access to the Red Sea. Somalia, which viewed the deal as a breach of its sovereignty, responded by declaring it did not want Ethiopian troops to serve in Aussom, arguing that they had not effectively reduced the threat posed by Al Shabab.
However, Mogadishu's relations with Addis Ababa have somewhat thawed following a Turkish mediation between the two neighbours, but no concrete steps are known to have been taken to resolve the Somali-Ethiopian dispute since Ankara's intervention was announced.
The size of Aussom and the Egyptian contingent have yet to be announced, although Somali officials say 11,000 men have already been pledged. The sources told The National last month that the Egyptian contingent would make up about 25 per cent of the new mission.
Ali Balcad, Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, was quoted by Bloomberg this week saying it remains unclear how many Ethiopian troops will be allowed to operate in Somalia. Addis Ababa is known to have some 10,000 men in Somalia, including several thousand operating under bilateral accords outside Atmis.
The defence ministers of Egypt and Somalia met in Cairo on Thursday, according to a statement by the Egyptian military spokesman. It cited the Somali minister Abdul Qader Mohammed Nour as saying Mogadishu appreciated military co-operation between the two nations and welcomed Egypt's participation in the new AU mission.
The statement did not provide any further details but the sources said the Somali minister had reassured his Egyptian counterpart, Gen Abdel Meguid Saqr, that Cairo's contingent in the AU mission will replace the Ethiopians, whose presence in Somalia would be declared illegal if they refuse to return home when asked by the Somali government.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, meanwhile, will on Saturday meet separately with Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Fiqi and Osman Saleh, his counterpart from Eritrea, a close Egyptian ally and on-and-off enemy of Ethiopia, according to a note sent to the media by Egypt's foreign ministry.
The three ministers will later participate in a meeting of a co-operation council grouping the three nations, said the ministry.
“Egypt will during the talks lay out plans for the new mission, including the deployment of its forces and the command structure,” said one source. “It wants to jointly take the lead with the Somali government in how the mission operates, including the assignment of locations and tasks."
He added: “The military co-operation agreement between Egypt and Somalia gives Cairo an edge over other participating nations in the new mission.”
The dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Nile's water has driven Cairo in recent years to vigorously pursue closer relations in Africa, where Addis Ababa wields considerable influence, partially due to its control of the source of the Blue Nile, by far the river's largest tributary, and because it is home to the headquarters of the AU.
One of the world's driest nations, the depth of Egypt's tussle with Ethiopia is rooted in the Arab nation's dependence on the Nile for nearly all its freshwater needs. It has repeatedly said its share of the river's water is a matter of national security and that Ethiopia's dam poses an existential threat to its 107 million people.
More than a decade of talks with Ethiopia have failed to produce an agreement. Cairo wants a legally binding deal on the running and filling of the dam. Ethiopia contends that the dam is not a threat to the water security of Egypt and insists the project is vital to its development.
“The River Nile, specifically, is an issue associated with the life and survival of Egyptians,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi recently said. “It is the chief source of life in our nation. Egypt is the gift of the glorious river.”
Manchester City (0) v Liverpool (3)
Uefa Champions League, quarter-final, second leg
Where: Etihad Stadium
When: Tuesday, 10.45pm
Live on beIN Sports HD
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
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The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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German plea
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the German parliament that. Russia had erected a new wall across Europe.
"It's not a Berlin Wall -- it is a Wall in central Europe between freedom and bondage and this Wall is growing bigger with every bomb" dropped on Ukraine, Zelenskyy told MPs.
Mr Zelenskyy was applauded by MPs in the Bundestag as he addressed Chancellor Olaf Scholz directly.
"Dear Mr Scholz, tear down this Wall," he said, evoking US President Ronald Reagan's 1987 appeal to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
A Long Way Home by Peter Carey
Faber & Faber
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
