Mogadishu (Halbeeg News) – Somalia and Egypt are set to hold a series of joint military exercises as the two nations enhance their military cooperation amid rising tension between the two Arab League members and Ethiopia.
According to security sources, the exercises which are expected to commence this month will involve ground, air, and naval forces.
“The drills will send a clear and loud message about our firm commitment to co-operate and protect Somalia. They’ll mean much more than just war drills,” one of the officials said.
The military exercises also comes at a time when Egypt has written to the UN Security Council to protest against what it terms as Ethiopia’s unilateral policies over the Grand Renaissance Ethiopia Dam (Gerd).
In the letter written by Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atty, Egypt stated that it rejects Ethiopia’s policies of moving ahead with completing the construction of the dam and filling its reservoir without consulting downstream.
“Egypt has negotiated in good faith [with Ethiopia] for 13 years. The negotiations have been halted after it became clear to everyone that Addis Ababa wanted them to continue indefinitely as a cover while it created a de facto situation on the ground,” the letter reads in part.
A week ago, Egypt began sending troops, arms and military hardware to Somalia under the provisions of a military co-operation agreement signed last month.
Ethiopia was deeply angered by the move that it said would destabilise the Horn of Africa region and take it into “unchartered waters”.
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