Tension brews in Horn of Africa as Egypt sends military aid to Somalia irking Ethiopia

Egypt has sent two military aircrafts loaded with arms and ammunition to Somalia, in a move that triggered the fears of Ethiopia.

Relations worsened when Ethiopia and the breakaway Somaliland signed a memorandum of understanding to use 20 km of coastal land for a port purpose in return for recognition as a state.

Somalia opposed the deal and denounced it as a violation of its sovereignty and an act of aggression by Ethiopia. Turkey and Kenya have previously offered separate mediations in the conflict between the two neighbors to no avail.

Somalia is now receiving military hardware from Egypt, two weeks after the two countries signed a military cooperation deal.

Media reports mentioned that Egypt was ready to send boots on the ground to back the African Union peacekeeping force (ATMIS). Sisi said last month Egypt would do that if asked.

Egypt is at loggerheads with Ethiopia over the Renaissance Nile Dam, which Cairo fears would reduce the share of water it receives. Ethiopia insists the dam is a sovereign issue conducive to the country’s water and hydro-power strategy.

The Ethiopian government denounced the Egyptian military aid convoys saying Somalia was “colluding with external factors to instill conflicts and endless wars in the Red Sea.”

Ethiopian columnists mentioned that the Somali-Egyptian military alliance will prevent the landlocked country from direct access to the sea.