This meeting marks the first between Egypt and Ethiopia since Egypt and Djibouti announced they would send troops to Somalia to replace ATMIS
On Thursday, Egypt’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Mohamed Omar Gad, met with Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister, Taye Atske-Selassie.
According to a brief disclosure from the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides discussed various bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues, including worries about the situation in Sudan, the threat of Al-Shabaab in Somalia, and the aftermath of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
Ethiopia expressed worries about the post-ATMIS situation in Somalia, especially as Egypt and Djibouti have shown interest in sending troops to the failed state of Somalia. There are indications that Egypt is trying to influence tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia.
On August 8, 2024, Somaliland denounced Egyptian comments made during a joint press conference with Turkey concerning a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ethiopia. Somaliland argued that these statements were inaccurate and undermined their sovereignty.
The conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia centers on Ethiopia’s agreement with Somaliland, which grants Ethiopia access to a 20-kilometer coastal area in exchange for recognizing Somaliland’s statehood.
This MoU was signed on January 1, 2024, in Addis Ababa by Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Egypt and Djibouti have announced their commitment to contribute troops to the upcoming African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which is set to begin in 2025.
Egypt and Ethiopia have had strained relations for over a decade, primarily due to Egypt’s concerns about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which it views as a threat to its national security. There are fears that Egypt’s potential deployment of troops to Somalia may further destabilize the region.
