Mogadishu (Halbeeg News) — The Somali Council of Ministers has Okayed a defense cooperation memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tanzania.
The approval was made late Wednesday during a special sitting by the council of ministers chaired by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre in Mogadishu.
The agreement with Tanzania comes following similar pacts with Egypt, Turkey, and Azerbaijan aimed at enhancing defense cooperation with regional and international partners.
Somalia’s move to forge closer defense relations with friendly nations comes amidst souring relations between Somalia and Ethiopia following a controversial MoU with Somaliland, signed in January 2024.
That agreement granted Ethiopia access to the Red Sea and included establishing a military base in Somaliland, a move Somalia views as violating its territorial integrity.
The federal government at the same time has ramped up efforts to secure strategic military alliances in response to what it sees as encroachments on its sovereignty.
During Wednesday’s sitting, Somalia’s Ministers of Defense and Security also provided updates on the country’s security situation and the ongoing fight against the extremist group Al-Shabaab.
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