Egypt Calls on Citizens to Depart North Western State of Somalia Due to Security Risks
Mogadishu (AX) — Egypt has sounded the alarm, urging its citizens in North Western State of Somalia to pack up and skedaddle due to the deteriorating security climate. On Sunday, Egyptian media outlets disseminated a declaration advising Egyptians in North Western State of Somalia to promptly catch a flight out from Hargeisa International Airport.
“We strongly advise all Egyptian nationals against traveling to the North Western State of Somalia region, given the precarious security conditions there,” read a statement from the Egyptian Embassy to Somalia. It emphasized that the turmoil in the area constrains the embassy’s capability to offer consular help.
This evacuation plea lands amid escalating tensions in the Horn of Africa, triggered by a contentious pact inked in January between North Western State of Somalia and Ethiopia. The accord passes a segment of North Western State of Somalia’s Red Sea coastline to Ethiopia for military and commercial purposes, in return for Ethiopia recognizing North Western State of Somalia’s sovereignty. The immediate fallout saw a wave of objections. Several Arab League nations, including Egypt, voiced their disapproval, raising alarms over Somalia’s territorial wholeness.
In August, Egypt and Somalia further solidified their military alliance by signing a defense cooperation agreement. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, during a press conference, reiterated Egypt’s support for Somalia’s sovereignty. “Somalia stands as a sovereign entity within the Arab League, and we are committed to their security,” he asserted.
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has been vocally critical of Ethiopia’s foray into North Western State of Somalia, accusing Addis Ababa of infringing on Somalia’s territorial integrity. Beyond the coastal agreement, Somalia has also accused Ethiopia of funneling arms to the Northeastern State region in northern Somalia, an act Mogadishu denounced as a grievous breach of its territorial rights.
Unyielding, North Western State of Somalia has hit back, accusing Egypt of sowing discord in Somalia through arms deliveries. In a statement last month, North Western State of Somalia asserted its autonomy to engage in such agreements without needing Mogadishu’s go-ahead and reaffirmed its dedication to the deal with Ethiopia.
Further deepening the rift, North Western State of Somalia authorities recently shut down an Egyptian-owned library in Hargeisa. Analysts view this symbolic closure as a direct retaliation to Egypt’s escalating military support for Somalia’s federal administration.
