First in more than 4 decades.. Egypt sends military aid to Somalia

Egypt delivered military aid to Somalia on Tuesday, the first in more than four decades, three Somali diplomatic and government sources said, in a move likely to deepen tensions between the two countries and Ethiopia, Reuters reported.

Relations between Egypt and Somalia have strengthened this year after Ethiopia signed a preliminary agreement with the breakaway region of Somaliland to lease a coastal port in exchange for possible recognition of its independence from Somalia.

The Mogadishu government described the agreement as an attack on its sovereignty and said it would obstruct it by all possible means.

Egypt has denounced the deal with Somaliland. Cairo has been at odds with Addis Ababa for years over Ethiopia's construction of a massive hydroelectric dam on the Nile River.

Egypt signed a military cooperation protocol with Mogadishu earlier this month and offered to contribute troops to a new peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

Somalia has previously threatened to expel up to 10,000 Ethiopian troops stationed there as part of a peacekeeping mission and under bilateral agreements to combat al-Shabaab militants, if the deal is not scrapped.

Two Egyptian military planes arrived at Mogadishu airport on Tuesday morning carrying weapons and ammunition, two diplomats and a senior Somali official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

A video clip circulated on social media and verified by Reuters showed the two planes on the airport runway.

One diplomat said Somalia was "playing with fire" by importing Egyptian weapons and provoking Ethiopia.

The foreign ministries of Somalia and Egypt and the Ethiopian government spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

An African Union statement earlier this month said Egypt had offered to contribute troops to a new peacekeeping mission to be launched next year in Somalia. Cairo has not made a public comment on the matter.

"If the Egyptians send troops on the ground and deploy elements on the border with Ethiopia, it could lead to a direct confrontation between the two sides," said Rashid Abdi, an analyst at the Nairobi-based Sahan Research Center.

"The risk of a direct war is small, but a proxy conflict is possible," he added.

Turkey has hosted two rounds of indirect talks since July between Somalia and Ethiopia over the Somaliland deal, which has yet to be finalized. A third round is expected next month.

Ethiopia, a landlocked country, says it needs access to the sea. Mogadishu insists that Somaliland, which has not gained international recognition despite enjoying de facto self-rule for more than 30 years, is part of Somalia.

Source: Reuters