Egypt reiterated its support for Somalia this week, shunning any measures that would undermine Somali territorial integrity.

“Egypt will not allow anyone to threaten Somalia or affect its security,” President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi said in “a message to Ethiopia” during a press conference with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday.

“Do not try Egypt or try to threaten its brothers, especially if they ask it to intervene,” Al-Sisi said during his meeting with Mohamud in Cairo.

Mohamud’s two-day visit to Cairo this week was intended to rally support for his government. He called on Ethiopia to seek benefits from seaports in neighbouring Somalia or Djibouti rather than through attempts to control another country’s territory.

Egypt’s firm support for Mogadishu came in reaction to Ethiopia’s announcement that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Somaliland, according to which it would recognise the country in exchange for an agreement to lease a 20 km stretch of coastland on the Gulf of Aden for the next 50 years. 

Addis Ababa wants to establish a naval base and commercial port on this stretch of land to give the landlocked country access to the sea and facilitate international trade. The deal was disclosed on the first day of the year. 

Ali Al-Hefni, a former deputy foreign minister, said that it was expected that Somalia would seek the support of important regional states like Egypt in addition to regional organisations like the Arab League (AL), the African Union (AU), and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

The present Somali president, and any future president, has the huge challenge of protecting Somali integrity, he said. “Ethiopia is an opportunist state that is making use of the present situation in Somalia and the fact that the international community is engaged in more pressing issues to try to impose a fait accompli on Somalia,” he added.

As a major regional state and a founding member of the AU, the AL, and the UN, Egypt must show its support for Somalia, he said.

Somaliland, a region overlooking the strategic Gulf of Aden, broke away from Somalia in 1991 as the country was engaged in a warlord-led conflict at the time. The breakaway region has not been recognised by any state since, but it is still seeking full statehood, a move categorically opposed by Mogadishu.

Somalia regards the deal with Ethiopia as an encroachment on its sovereignty and has called it an “act of aggression”. It has called on Addis Ababa to withdraw from the illegal agreement.

The conflict-resolution body of the AU discussed the issue earlier this month and called on the two countries to engage in dialogue to find a peaceful resolution. While the Somali government welcomed the AU call, it has rejected calls for mediation over the deal.

“There is no space for mediation unless Ethiopia retracts its illegal MOU and reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia,” Somalia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Sheikh Mohamud also raised the issue at last week’s 19th edition of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, pointing out to member states that the deal is a clear violation of Somalia’s territorial integrity.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri highlighted Egypt’s unwavering backing for Mogadishu in protecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity during the NAM Summit. His statement came during a meeting with acting Somali Foreign Minister Ali Mohamed Omar during a meeting on the sidelines of the summit held in the Ugandan capital Kampala.

Both Shoukri and Omar agreed to continue close consultation and coordination to support Somalia and its people. 

In another show of support for Somalia, the AL held an extraordinary ministerial meeting last week to highlight the support of the regional organisation and its members for Somalia. 

During the meeting, Shoukri described Ethiopia as “a source of instability in the region”.

Al-Hefni said that Addis Ababa was once again trying to extend its influence in the region by taking decisions that did not take account of the interests of regional states or their sovereignty. 

“The same scenario as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is being repeated once again. We are seeing the dangers of Ethiopia’s unilateral policies that violate international law and the principles of good neighbourliness and that aim to impose a fait accompli disregarding the interests of other African countries,” he said.

Relations between Cairo and Addis Ababa have been strained for more than a decade over the construction and operation of the GERD.

Tripartite talks between the two countries, along with neighbouring Sudan, have failed to produce a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD. The last round was held last month, after which Egypt declared the failure of the negotiations. 

Ethiopia had unilaterally filled the dam’s reservoir for four consecutive years prior to reaching an agreement. 

Cairo and Khartoum continue to voice their concerns over water security as well as the future management of the dams in the three countries, especially at times of drought or severe drought.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 25 January, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly