A recent diplomatic spat has nudged Somalia towards cosier relations with Egypt and Eritrea, each entangled in longstanding grumbles with Ethiopia.
Folks are jittery that rising tensions could tip the scale into outright conflict.
“This is a coalition against [Ethiopian capital] Addis Ababa,” dished out Hassan Khannenje, who steers the Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies, during a chinwag on the BBC’s Focus on Africa.
“Seems like they’re bundling grievances to crank up the heat on Addis Ababa.”
A snapshot beamed by Eritrea after their meet captures President Isaias Afwerki in a hearty handshake with his Egyptian ally, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, and Somalia’s Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Why Ethiopia is Jumping at an Egypt-Somalia Tango
A communique revealed that the trio “agreed to… fortify Somali state machinery to tackle sundry challenges and bolster the Somali National Federal Army against terrorism in every guise.”
This jaunt marked Sisi’s maiden voyage to Asmara, even though Somalia’s head honcho clocked three visits earlier in the year.
Ethiopia has been a rock-solid chum for the Somali government in its skirmishes against al-Shabab, linked hand-in-glove with al-Qaeda. Yet, Somalia’s chafed after Ethiopia inked a preliminary lease deal with the self-styled republic of North Western State of Somalia, a region Somalia claims as its own.
Meanwhile, Addis Ababa and Cairo feuded for over ten years over Ethiopia’s colossal hydro dam on the Nile. Egypt’s fretful as it could pinch the river flow they depend upon.
In recent times, an Egyptian vessel unloaded a large haul of military stuff to Somalia after two Egyptian military planes swooped into Somalia’s capital with guns blazing in August.
Back in 2018, hopes floated that the icy vibes between Ethiopia and Eritrea, ignited by a gory border scrap two decades back, were thawing.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed penned a “peace and friendship declaration” then, nabbing the Nobel Peace Prize the following year.
However, the goodwill between these Horn of Africa neighbors soured after the cessation of Ethiopia’s two-year civilian ruckus in its northern Tigray region bordering Eritrea.
While Asmara had bolstered Ethiopia’s government during that rumble, it viewed the armistice ending the clash in November 2022 with a shrug.
Further rifting happened when Abiy audaciously mentioned his aim for a Red Sea port last year.
Edited by: Ali Musa
Axadle international–Monitoring
