According to reports, Ethiopia claims that it is not looking for any confrontation with Egyptian troops who are already heading for the African Union mission in Somalia to fight against Al-Shabaab.
On the same day, Suleiman Dedefo, Ethiopian Ambassador to Somalia, speaking on state TV in Mogadishu, said that Addis Ababa does not expect any provocation; on the other hand, it also gave a cautionary message to the Egyptian forces not to go beyond their limits.
It was reported that the entire process in addition to the last step of the training for the Australian mission joined by Egyptian troops was held in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
The Somali Ministry of Defence described the event as the beginning of Egypt’s greater involvement in efforts to bring about the country’s stabilization and security.
In addition, the ministry highlighted Egypt’s dedication to reinforcing Somalia’s security via the newly formed Aussom framework.
Both Ethiopia and Egypt have been at it over the Nile waters for the past 10 years. In spite of Egyptian protests, Ethiopia constructed the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam, which is a 6GW power plant that started the generation of electricity in 2023.
The river supplies 98 percent of the water consumed by Egypt, hence why the Nile is considered the country’s security issue in Cairo.
Not long ago, the Somali government disclosed that the African Union Mission in Somalia had evolved, and Ethiopia was not going to be a part of Aussom. After this announcement, the exclusion prevailed due to the dispute over the January 2024 memorandum of understanding by Ethiopia with Somaliland to lease a naval base.
Turkey was the one to step in and mediate the settlement of this conflict. The Aussom operation consists of 11,900 personnel who carry out their functions primarily in combating Al-Shabaab and ISIS terrorist groups in Somalia.
