Egypt supplies more arms to ‘brotherly’ neighbor

An Egyptian ship has delivered a major consignment of military equipment to Somalia, officials from the two African countries announced on Monday. Relations between Cairo and Mogadishu are strengthening as they share a mutual distrust of Ethiopia.

The delivery marks Cairo’s second weapons shipment to Mogadishu in less than a month, after Egypt warned that it will not allow anyone threaten its “brothers” in the wake of a maritime dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia.

The move aligns with Cairo’s commitment to support and enhance the capability of the Somali army to combat terrorism, preserve national sovereignty, and maintain territorial integrity, the Egyptian foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.

Somali Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur shared a photo on X (formerly Twitter) of himself and others watching a docked naval vessel while thanking Egypt. However, he made no mention of the weapons.

“Somalia has passed the stage where they were dictated to and awaited the affirmation of others on who it will engage with. We know our own interests, and we will choose between our allies and our enemies. Thank you Egypt,” Nur wrote.

Relations between the two Arab League states have strengthened since the beginning of this year, when Mogadishu sought support against Addis Ababa for reaching a deal with breakaway Somaliland to lease 20km (12 miles) of its coast. The January 1 pact would allow the landlocked country to gain access to the Red Sea and build a marine base, reportedly in exchange for recognition of Somaliland’s independence.

Cairo, which has a longstanding conflict with Addis Ababa over the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile, joined Mogadishu in accusing Ethiopia of violating Somali territorial integrity with the “illegal” agreement.

On Monday, the Egyptian foreign ministry said the latest arms shipment is in accordance with the North African country’s obligations under a recently signed military cooperation protocol with Somalia.

In response, Somaliland, which Somalia considers its territory, said Egypt’s supply of “heavy weapons” to Mogadishu “jeopardizes the security of a region already facing complex security challenges.”

“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 in order to safeguard their interests,” it said in a statement.

Ethiopia, a long-time supporter of the Mogadishu government’s fight against the al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabab, expressed concern when Egypt sent the first weapons to Somalia late last month.

It accused the Somali government of colluding with “external actors” aiming to destabilize the Horn of Africa, despite progress in Turkish-mediated talks between them to resolve the port deal dispute.