Ethiopia and Egypt tensions rise over Somaliland port deal
The dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt, which supports Somalia in its conflict with Ethiopia, is intensifying. The situation could escalate into a direct armed conflict.
In January of this year, Ethiopia reached an agreement with the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland regarding access to the port of Berbera on the Red Sea. The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, described access to the sea as an existential issue for his country. From the Somaliland side, President Muse Bihi Abdi signed the agreement, which stated that Ethiopia agreed to recognize Somaliland as an independent country in the future in exchange for a 50-year lease of a 20-kilometre-wide coastal strip.
Somalia, which considers Somaliland a rebellious part of its territory, has turned to Egypt and Turkey for help countering this agreement. Both countries have offered their support. Egypt, which has been in conflict with Ethiopia for years over the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile, criticized the agreement made by Addis Ababa with Somaliland. In August, Egypt signed a security pact with Somalia and delivered weapons and ammunition. This is the first such delivery in over forty years.
Last Sunday, an Egyptian warship arrived in Mogadishu with another arms shipment, including field artillery and anti-aircraft guns.
Currently, there are a thousand Egyptian commandos in Somalia, and Cairo has announced the possibility of sending up to 10,000 soldiers in the coming months. Some will participate in the African Union mission, and some will be sent within the framework of a bilateral defence agreement with Somalia. At the same time, several thousand Ethiopian troops are in Mogadishu as part of the same mission.
Mutual threats accompany the militarization. Ethiopia interpreted the delivery of weapons to Somalia as actions directed against it and responded with threats.
"Whoever is planning to invade Ethiopia should think not once but ten times because one of the most important things we Ethiopians know is defence," stated the Prime Minister of Ethiopia.
