Ethiopia is increasingly concerned about a recent defense agreement between Egypt and Somalia. The deal, signed during Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s visit to Cairo, includes the arrival of Egyptian military equipment in Somalia, with the potential deployment of Egyptian troops after the African Union’s peacekeeping mission ends on December 31. This development has alarmed Ethiopia, which is entangled in disputes with both countries. The first is with Egypt over Ethiopia’s $4 billion Blue Nile dam, which Egypt fears could jeopardize its water supply. The second involves Somalia’s efforts to block Ethiopia’s access to the Red Sea through Somaliland, a breakaway region Somalia refuses to recognize as independent. Because of this, Addis Ababa views the agreement between both countries as a destabilizing factor in the region. It vowed to closely monitor these developments, accusing Somalia of undermining regional stability by collaborating with external actors.
SOURCE: AP NEWS
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