ሰበር ዜና - ጉድ መጣ ⛑️ Egypt Deploys Thousands of Additional Troops to Somalia ⛑️
Posted: 15 Feb 2026, 07:29
Why is Egypt bolstering ties with Somalia now?
Jennifer Holleis
February 14, 2026
As Egypt deploys troops to Mogadishu, analysts say Cairo is focusing on strategic access to the Red Sea and Somalia is concentrating on internal stability. But both countries share concerns about Ethiopian expansionism.
Bilateral ties between Egypt and Somalia continue to deepen.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi assured his Somali counterpart, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday in Cairo
that Egypt stands firmly behind "Somalia's unity and territorial integrity."
On Wednesday, Cairo then followed up on an agreement from January 2025 and deployed 1,091 troops to Somalia's capital Mogadishu.
The deployment of Egyptian forces to Somalia — the first such deployment in their decades-old bilateral history — marks a significant shift. Until now Egypt had only sent military equipment as part of a joint security deal with Mogadishu from August 2024.
The Egyptian soldiers will be part of the African Union-led peacekeeping force, the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM). The international mission — which first operated under the name African Union Transition Mission in Somalia — has been in place since April 1, 2022. Its mission is to train and advise the Somali army and police as Somalia has been fighting for stability since the collapse of its central government in 1991. Clan infighting and above all, the extremist group al-Shabab, have caused problems.
"I would say there is a geopolitical race for influence in this area," Riccardo Fabiani, North Africa project director at the think tank International Crisis Group, told DW.
"Cairo wants to make sure that weak states are strengthened and they don't become a playground for external actors trying to become geopolitical powers along the Red Sea," he said.
Somalia, part of the Horn of Africa region, lies at several key junctions: It is located along the Indian Ocean with access to the Red Sea via the Gulf of Aden, the key route to the Suez Canal. It is opposite Yemen and shares a long border with Ethiopia.
https://www.dw.com/en/why-is-egypt-bols ... a-75958140
Jennifer Holleis
February 14, 2026
As Egypt deploys troops to Mogadishu, analysts say Cairo is focusing on strategic access to the Red Sea and Somalia is concentrating on internal stability. But both countries share concerns about Ethiopian expansionism.
Bilateral ties between Egypt and Somalia continue to deepen.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi assured his Somali counterpart, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday in Cairo
that Egypt stands firmly behind "Somalia's unity and territorial integrity."
On Wednesday, Cairo then followed up on an agreement from January 2025 and deployed 1,091 troops to Somalia's capital Mogadishu.
The deployment of Egyptian forces to Somalia — the first such deployment in their decades-old bilateral history — marks a significant shift. Until now Egypt had only sent military equipment as part of a joint security deal with Mogadishu from August 2024.
The Egyptian soldiers will be part of the African Union-led peacekeeping force, the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM). The international mission — which first operated under the name African Union Transition Mission in Somalia — has been in place since April 1, 2022. Its mission is to train and advise the Somali army and police as Somalia has been fighting for stability since the collapse of its central government in 1991. Clan infighting and above all, the extremist group al-Shabab, have caused problems.
"I would say there is a geopolitical race for influence in this area," Riccardo Fabiani, North Africa project director at the think tank International Crisis Group, told DW.
"Cairo wants to make sure that weak states are strengthened and they don't become a playground for external actors trying to become geopolitical powers along the Red Sea," he said.
Somalia, part of the Horn of Africa region, lies at several key junctions: It is located along the Indian Ocean with access to the Red Sea via the Gulf of Aden, the key route to the Suez Canal. It is opposite Yemen and shares a long border with Ethiopia.
https://www.dw.com/en/why-is-egypt-bols ... a-75958140
