Egypt Sends First Military Aid to Somalia in Decades, Heightening Tensions with Ethiopia

Egypt delivered its first military aid to Somalia in more than four decades on Tuesday, escalating tensions with Ethiopia after Ethiopia signed a controversial deal with neighboring Somaliland, offering land in exchange for potential recognition of Somaliland’s independence from Somalia.
The Somali government condemned the deal, calling it a violation of its sovereignty and vowing to block it by any means necessary, Reuters reported.
Egypt, long at odds with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile River, has similarly denounced the Somaliland agreement.
This month, Cairo signed a security pact with Mogadishu and proposed sending troops to a new peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
On Tuesday, two Egyptian military planes delivered weapons and ammunition to Mogadishu, sources said.
The delivery, confirmed by diplomats and a Somali official, was seen as a “provocative” act by Ethiopia, which has stationed up to 10,000 troops in Somalia to combat al-Shabaab militants.
Somalia’s move to align more closely with Egypt and accept military aid has drawn sharp criticism.
Ethiopia responded by warning that it would not remain passive while external actors seek to destabilize the region. Although the Ethiopian government did not directly mention Egypt in its statement, it made clear its displeasure with Somalia’s actions.
Analysts warn that the situation could lead to a proxy conflict, though the likelihood of a direct war remains low.
Ongoing tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia have also led to indirect talks hosted by Turkey, with further discussions expected next month.
Ethiopia, which remains landlocked, views access to the sea as essential and considers Somaliland’s potential independence a critical issue.
Somalia, however, is insisting that Somaliland remain part of its territory, despite the latter having had (for all practical purposes) autonomy for more than the last 30 years.