Somalia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ali Bal'ad, revealed that "the Egyptian government will play a key role in training the Somali National Army."

According to the New Somalia website on Wednesday, the minister confirmed that Egyptian forces will be part of the new African Union mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

He emphasized that "Somalia and Egypt share a historic relationship" and noted that "Egypt had previously trained senior officers of the Somali National Army."

Bal'ad stressed that Egypt will specifically support Somali government forces and that it plans to establish "camps in Somalia where Egyptian officers can train the Somali National Army."

"Egyptian forces arriving in the country will be deployed in bases vacated by the African Union Transition Mission (ATMIS)" and that they "will participate in the fight against al-Shabaab."

It is worth noting that al-Shabaab is a Somalia-based militant group linked to al-Qaeda. It opposes the Somali government and obstructs UN humanitarian missions in the country.

In one of their most brutal attack, at least 30 Somali soldiers were killed and dozens were wounded after a suicide bomber attacked a military academy in the country's capital Mogadishu on July 22, 2023.

Egypt sends military aid batch to Somalia amid tensions with Ethiopia

Egypt and Somalia have strengthened their ties in 2024 following Ethiopia's signing of a preliminary agreement with the breakaway region of Somaliland, which involves leasing coastal land in exchange for potential recognition of Somaliland's independence from Somalia.

In August 2024, Egypt sent Somalia its first batch of military aid in four decades, Reuters reported, citing three diplomatic and Somali government sources, in a move that is expected to exacerbate tensions between the two nations and Ethiopia.

The government in Mogadishu has denounced the deal as an attack on its sovereignty and vowed to thwart it by any means necessary, expelling Ethiopia's ambassador and recalling its own to Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia, a landlocked nation, asserts its need for access to the sea, while Mogadishu maintains that Somaliland—which lacks international recognition—remains a part of Somalia.

Egypt, which has been in a long-standing dispute with Ethiopia over the construction of a massive hydroelectric dam on the Nile River, has also condemned the Somaliland agreement.

Earlier this month, Cairo signed a security pact with Mogadishu and has offered to deploy troops as part of a new peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

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