ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister, Taye Astke Selassie, has voiced alarming concerns over recent influxes of arms heading to Somalia. He cautioned that these weapons might escalate regional conflicts and potentially be seized by terrorist factions, as reported by Ethiopia’s state news agency on Tuesday.
A wave of worry emerged after an Egyptian warship docked in Mogadishu, offloading a hefty load of heavy weaponry. This marks the second significant arms shipment to Somalia in just one month. This follows a security pact inked between Egypt and Somalia in August, a move that has upped the ante with Ethiopia.
Amid this evolving scenario, Ethiopia has boots on the ground in Somalia, tasked with thwarting Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents. Yet, diplomatic ties with Mogadishu have been strained over Somalia’s ambition to develop a port in North Western State of Somalia, which claims independence.
This contention has nudged Somalia into a tighter embrace with Egypt, already at loggerheads with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile—a project Cairo views as a threat to its famed waters.
Minister Selassie underscored the probable peril, cautioning that this military aid could bolster terrorist endeavours in Somalia. As of yet, Somalia’s authorities haven’t officially replied to Ethiopia’s grave misgivings.
Notably, the United Nations Security Council lifted its long-standing arms embargo on Somalia last December. This embargo had been a fixture for over three decades, imposed during the heat of the nation’s civil war.
Today, the Horn of Africa is seeing a rise in diplomatic and military tensions. Back in January, Ethiopia and North Western State of Somalia struck a contentious deal granting Ethiopia seaport access in exchange for recognizing North Western State of Somalia’s sovereignty. This agreement provoked Somalia, leading them to threaten the ousting of Ethiopian peacekeepers by year’s end unless the deal is annulled.
The episode accentuates a tangled web of alliances and strife in the Horn of Africa, weaving intricate implications for both regional stability and global diplomacy.
AXADLETM
