Egypt's future participation in a new counter-terrorism African Union mission in Somalia is designed to bring stability and security to the Horn of Africa country and not pose a threat to other nations, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said on Thursday.
The Egyptian leader's comments followed his talks in Cairo earlier on Thursday with Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud after which they announced a “political declaration” that Cairo said will lay the foundation for a strategic partnership between the two Arab League members.
Mr El Sisi's assertion that Egypt's participation in the new AU mission should not be perceived as a threat was a thinly-veiled reference to Ethiopia, Somalia's neighbour with which Cairo has been locked in a bitter dispute over a Nile dam being built by Addis Ababa and which Egypt sees as a threat to its water security.
Egypt and Somalia have seen their ties rapidly grow over the past year as Cairo seeks to broaden its footprint in the strategic Horn of Africa region to counter Ethiopia's influence and persuade it to adopt a flexible approach in more than a decade of fruitless negotiations to resolve their dispute.
Bound by a comprehensive military co-operation agreement signed in August, Egypt has sent elite troops to Somalia to train local security forces in counter-terrorism tactics to fight the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shaba group. It has also sent weapons and troops to guard top government officials and key state installations.
It has, in recent weeks, been beefing up its contingent there in anticipation of its participation in the new AU force, formally called the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom). It will replace the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis), whose mandate ended on December 31.
“Allow me to speak about our participation in that mission which aims to bring stability and security to Somalia,” he said after his meeting with Mr Mohamud, their fourth since January last year.
“It is not aimed at threatening any nation. Our participation is positive because we have been pained for over 30 years watching what's happening in Somalia.”
Egypt has in recent years negotiated access to military centres in Eritrea and Djibouti, and struck military co-operation accords with, besides Somalia, Nile basin states Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo – steps widely known to be linked to Cairo's dispute with Addis Ababa.
Tension 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, saying 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 in December. Earlier this month, Somalia and Ethiopia said they intended to restore full diplomatic relations after a visit by Mr Mohamud to Addis Ababa.
The size of the new AU mission in Somalia and the Egyptian contingent have yet to be formally announced, although Somali officials say 11,000 men have already been pledged. Sources have told The National that Egypt's contribution will make up about 25 per cent of the new mission.
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5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,400m
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Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
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