The visit comes amid expanding military and political coordination between Cairo and Mogadishu, including Egypt’s participation in the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
The two leaders last met in early July in Alamein, where they held closed-door talks followed by expanded meetings with delegations. Discussions centred on deepening what both sides describe as a strategic partnership, with a focus on security, defence, political coordination, and economic cooperation.
That meeting followed an earlier summit in Cairo at which Egypt and Somalia signed a joint political declaration elevating their relationship to a strategic partnership, committing to expanded cooperation across political, military, and economic tracks and closer consultation on regional stability.
Egypt is currently deploying forces under AUSSOM, the AU-led mission that replaced the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) at the start of 2025. The mission’s mandate includes supporting Somali state institutions, securing key infrastructure, and assisting the Somali National Army in counterterrorism operations.
The deployment follows defence agreements reached between Cairo and Mogadishu in late 2024 and early 2025, including a protocol providing for training, advisory support, and a limited Egyptian troop presence at Somalia's request.
Regional security is also expected to feature in Sunday’s talks, including developments in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, where Egypt has repeatedly stressed the importance of state sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In December, Egypt joined a cross-regional group of Arab, African, and Islamic countries in condemning Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland, warning that the move could destabilize the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and wider regional security.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of over 20 countries, including Egypt, alongside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), rejected the move as a violation of international law and the United Nations (UN) Charter, reaffirming support for Somalia’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.
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