As Egypt is set to deploy a peacekeeping force in Somalia under the African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), Ethiopia maintains its reservation over the planned deployment, APA learnt on Friday.
Senior Ethiopian officials say while they will not protests Egyptian troops within AUSSOM, they will not accept their involvement in Somalia which they fear could offset the balance of the force’s composition.
Aside from fears that the presence of Ethiopian and Egyptian troops in AUSSOM could trigger feuds between them, officials in Addis Ababa do not appear to be comfortable with the intelligence implications.
Some within the corridors of power in Addis Ababa are wary of Egyptian troops ”next door” in Somalia where they could gather vital information about the nature of Ethiopian forces including their logistical and operational capability.
There has been more than 10 years of tension between Ethiopia and Egypt over the building of a controversial hydroelectric dam on the River Nile, which Cairo still believes compromises its share of water supply from the world’s longest river. Ethiopia has dismissed such misgivings as misguided and exaggerated.
Since 2011, there has been faint suggestions from Egyptian military circles of sabotaging the dam, which to Ethiopia is a flagship hydroelectric project to provide enough energy to its people and export it to its neighbours.
The advent of current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had hardened the belligerent rhetoric, although this has tailed off in recent years. But the tensions remain.
Last year Egypt sent military hardware to Somalia after its own tensions with Ethiopia following a deal with the self-declared republic of Somaliland to gain access to a Red Sea port in exchange for recognition of its status as an independent state.
Somalia still regards Somaliland as its territory and condemned its port-access deal with Ethiopia as as affront on its territorial sovereignty.
On Monday, a 16-member Egyptian Armed Forces delegation arrived in Mogadishu for a reconnaissance mission ahead of Cairo’s planned deployment.
Ethiopia’s ambassador to Somalia, Suleiman Dedefo, told Somali media recently that Addis Ababa is “neither threatened nor comfortable” with the presence of Egyptian forces in Somalia.
He said that Egypt’s role does not constitute a direct threat, he added, “as long as they don’t try to challenge our forces.”
Suleiman was also quoted as saying, “If they [Egyptians] are to be of any use, it would be in neighbouring countries such as Palestine, Libya, or Sudan.”
His remarks came a day after Egyptian troops completed their first training program for AUSSOM deployment.
The Egyptian delegation, led by Major General Islam Radwan was received by officers from AUSSOM and the Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF).
They later held talks with the AUSSOM leadership, including the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) and Head of Mission, Ambassador El Hadji Ibrahima Diene, and attended a security briefing at the force’ main headquarters.
MG/as/APA