Egypt is strengthening its presence in Somalia to participate in the new African Union mission to fight Al Shabaab, deploying its naval and air forces to Somalia.
Sources and analysts say that it is an important step for Cairo to expand its presence in the strategic region of the Horn of Africa.
They said that this move is also a victory for the ten-year-old dispute that Egypt has with Ethiopia regarding the large dam on the Nile River that it is building in Addis Ababa, which Cairo sees as a threat to the safety of the Nile water.
Somalia’s request is for Egyptian troops to replace Ethiopian troops as part of a replacement African Union mission, giving Cairo more troops to cross the Ethiopian border, which could put pressure on Addis Ababa to show flexibility over the water dispute. The Nile.
The new operation of the African Union was agreed on Friday by the United Nations Security Council in a resolution issued by 14 of the 15 member countries. The United States has remained silent due to concerns about financing the operation.
The foreign ministers of Egypt and Somalia have confirmed Egypt’s role in the operation, during talks held in Cairo last week, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
