Wednesday  3,Sep 2025 {HMC}   The announcement of Egyptian troops arriving in Somalia as part of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has drawn renewed criticism from Ethiopia, which views the move with great sensitivity, while Cairo insists it is an instrument to safeguard security and stability in a strategically vital country in East Africa, not an attempt to antagonise Addis Ababa.

The Egyptian military delegation included senior officers and special units to prepare for the imminent deployment of Egyptian troops, in coordination with Somalia and the African forces.

In September last year, media reports revealed that an Egyptian warship had delivered a fresh consignment of weapons to Somalia, including anti-aircraft guns and artillery.

Every step taken by Egypt in Somalia is perceived by Ethiopia as being directed against it, deepening mistrust between the two sides and preventing progress towards resolving the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute. The planned inauguration of the dam in a major ceremony in Addis Ababa this September threatens to complicate matters further.

Ethiopia’s ambassador in Mogadishu Suleiman Dedefo voiced his country’s displeasure at the presence of Egyptian troops in Somalia, saying Addis Ababa felt neither threatened nor reassured by them and saw “no security benefit.” He stressed that while Ethiopia had no objection to forces from other friendly states, Egyptian troops could pose “a political and strategic challenge” to Ethiopia’s roughly 4,000 soldiers stationed in Somalia.

Cairo has issued no official response to the ambassador’s remarks, but semi-official circles close to the government dismissed them as a repetition of past statements from Addis Ababa aimed at stirring alarm over any Egyptian role in Somalia. These circles accused Ethiopia of deliberately exaggerating events and casting them negatively in order to reinforce suspicions about Cairo’s regional intentions and to dissuade other countries from cooperating with Egypt.

These circles emphasised that Egypt’s activities were transparent, rooted in mutual cooperation, and carried no hidden agendas against Ethiopia. They noted that Egypt has long been one of the world’s most active contributors to peacekeeping missions and enjoys historic ties with Somalia.

Cairo, they argued, is interested in partnership with Mogadishu to counter extremist and terrorist groups such as al-Shabaab, which have exploited Somalia’s instability to entrench themselves in the Horn of Africa.

Dedefo said Egyptian troops “will bring no contribution to stability there … If they are useful, it will be in neighbouring countries such as Palestine, Libya or Sudan,” a sarcastic reference to the array of regional challenges confronting Cairo, downplaying the role its forces might play in Somalia.

His comments came a day after Somalia’s ministry of defence welcomed the deployment of Egyptian forces under ATMIS.

The ministry said Egypt’s participation “reflects Cairo’s growing role in supporting Somalia’s stability and security efforts” and reaffirmed Egypt’s strong commitment to strengthening the Somali National Army through the peacekeeping mission.

The AU Peace and Security Council had already approved Egyptian participation in ATMIS, which completed its first training programme with Egyptian troops in preparation for deployment to support Somalia’s security and stability and to reinforce the army through the mission’s new structure.

In August 2024, Egypt and Somalia signed a military cooperation protocol, agreeing Cairo’s participation in the AU mission from 2025 to 2029. Egypt also delivered military equipment to Mogadishu the following month.

At the time, Ethiopian foreign minister Taye Atske Selassie demanded that the mission should not pose a threat to Ethiopia’s national security: “This is not out of fear, but to avoid igniting new conflicts in the region.”

Egypt insists its support for Somalia is not aimed at Ethiopia, but rather at helping a country long plagued by instability and insecurity through a peacekeeping framework established under a formal military cooperation protocol.

Mogadishu stressed that the decision to include Egyptian troops in peacekeeping operations was a sovereign matter between the two countries, beyond Ethiopia’s say.

Somali Defence Minister Abdulkadir Nur thanked Egypt, declaring that “Somalia has passed the stage where they were dictated to and awaited the affirmation of others on who it will engage with. We know our own interests, and we will choose between our allies and our enemies. Thank you Egypt.”

The row between Egypt and Ethiopia over Somalia escalated after Addis Ababa signed a memorandum of understanding with the self-declared “Republic of Somaliland” in January 2024, granting it access to a seaport, logistical facilities, and a military base.

Mogadishu rejected the deal, with Cairo standing beside it in solidarity. The memorandum was later suspended following Turkish mediation, which produced a principles agreement safeguarding Somali unity while granting Ethiopia port access through arrangements with Mogadishu’s central government.

The agreement remains frozen, however. Turkey was expected to continue its mediation until the deal was implemented, but regional tensions derailed its efforts, leaving Ankara unable to enforce the agreement or preserve a measure of warmth between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa. Both sides are instead manoeuvring to consolidate their positions in anticipation of possible political or military confrontation.

As a result, any Egyptian military presence in Somalia, even under a peacekeeping mandate, is rejected by Ethiopia and seen through the prism of the Nile dam dispute.

Resolving the GERD crisis would provide a path to ending the rift between Cairo and Addis Ababa, but the dam has become a structural issue requiring significant concessions from both sides, concessions that remain distant. For now, Somalia will remain a theatre of ongoing contention.

Source Hiiraan Oline

Wednesday  3,Sep 2025 {HMC}   The Israeli military onslaught on Gaza City continues nonstop, resulting in the killing of more than 50 Palestinians, including aid seekers, as it seeks to seize control of the enclave’s biggest urban centre – home to some 1 million people.

At least 105 Palestinians were killed across Gaza on Tuesday as Israeli strikes levelled densely populated areas, particularly al-Sabra neighbourhood, which has been under attack for days. At least 32 of those were killed while seeking aid.

The attacks are intensified as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is facing a “decisive stage” of the war as it prepares to seize Gaza City despite global condemnation.

“Palestinians are in a cage in Gaza City right now, trying to survive as many air strikes as possible. Wherever they go, the air strikes follow them,” said Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary.

“They are also dying from the food and aid blockade as they are not able to get the basic means of sustenance,” she said, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

Palestinians are struggling to survive the dual threats of targeted attacks and starvation, with at least 13 people dying of starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the total hunger-related death toll since the war began to 361. Eighty-three of those deaths have been recorded since a global hunger monitor confirmed famine conditions in Gaza on August 22.

Among those killed on Tuesday were at least 21 people, including seven children, who were struck by an Israeli drone while queuing for water in the al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Images posted online by Palestinian Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal showed children’s bodies and water containers stained with blood at the attack site, which Israel had previously declared a so-called “safe zone”.

“They were standing in line to fill up water … when the occupation forces directly targeted them, turning their search for life into a new massacre,” Basal said on Tuesday.

In Gaza City, an Israeli strike on the al-Af family home killed 10 people, mostly women and children, Gaza officials said.

“These crimes expose the criminal fascist nature of the enemy,” Gaza’s Government Media Office said in a statement, accusing Washington of complicity. It called Israel’s actions “war crimes under international law” and urged the UN Security Council to halt the “brutal genocide”.

Two more journalists, Rasmi Salem of al-Manara and Eman al-Zamli, were killed in the latest attacks, bringing the total number of journalists killed since October 7, 2023, to more than 270. The war in Gaza has become the deadliest conflict for media workers ever recorded, press watchdogs say.

Israel starts ground assault in Gaza City

On Tuesday, thousands of Israeli reservists reported for duty as efforts to end the war seemed to be stalling.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said Hamas had accepted a ceasefire proposal, but Israel had yet to respond.

“There has been no Israeli response yet,” he said, adding that negotiations with mediators and the United States had stalled. He warned that Israel’s plan to occupy Gaza “poses a threat to everyone”, including Israeli captives.

But Israel has tightened its siege of Gaza City in recent days, barring even limited humanitarian aid deliveries.

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir confirmed ground operations were intensifying. “We are going to deepen our operation,” he told reservists as tens of thousands of troops were called up. Israeli media reported that 365 soldiers have refused to report for duty.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, said in a video statement on Tuesday that “we are working to defeat Hamas.”

Yemen’s Houthi movement said its forces launched four drones targeting Israel’s General Staff headquarters near Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport, a power station, and the port of Ashdod, days after Israel killed Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi along with top officials in Sanaa.

The group claimed its drones “successfully hit their targets.” It also said a missile and drone attack struck a cargo vessel in the Red Sea for violating a ban on entering Israeli ports.

International ‘indifference’ to Palestine

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry welcomed Belgium’s decision to recognise the State of Palestine on Tuesday and urged other nations to follow suit, saying it was “in line with international law and UN resolutions” and necessary to halt “genocide, displacement, starvation, and annexation”.

In a separate statement, the ministry accused the international community of “alarming” indifference to Gaza’s economic collapse and Israel’s seizure of Palestinian tax revenues. It called for urgent financial support to “enhance the resilience of citizens and their steadfastness on their homeland’s soil”.

Source Hiiraan Oline

Wednesday  3,Sep 2025 {HMC}  Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre met with his Serbian counterpart Đuro Macut on Tuesday in Belgrade, where the two leaders signed a cooperation agreement in the health sector and pledged to deepen ties across trade, investment, education and security.

Hamza and his delegation were received with high-level honors at the Serbian Presidential Palace. The prime minister highlighted Somalia’s investment opportunities in the blue economy, agriculture and livestock, urging Serbian businesses to explore ventures in the Horn of Africa nation.

“Somalia offers vast opportunities for investment,” Hamza said, extending an invitation to the Serbian government and private sector to visit Mogadishu. He also thanked Macut and the Serbian government for what he described as a warm reception, reaffirming Somalia’s commitment to strengthening diplomatic relations.

In a parallel meeting, Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi held talks with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dačić, Security and Information Agency Director Vladimir Orlić, and Defense Minister Bratislav Gašić. Discussions focused on expanding security and defense cooperation, with both sides emphasizing the importance of building a strategic partnership.

Somalia and Serbia share historical ties dating back to the Non-Aligned Movement, with both governments now seeking to revive that relationship through new agreements in health, security, and trade.

Source Hiiraan Oline
 

Wednesday  3,Sep 2025 {HMC}  The Arab League has agreed to cancel 75 percent of Somalia’s debts after Mogadishu requested relief from nearly four decades of unpaid annual membership contributions, Somali officials said Tuesday.

Somali Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the Arab League, Ali Abdi Aware, called the decision a “historic achievement” during the League’s 164th session of permanent representatives in Cairo. He thanked member states for supporting Somalia’s request, saying the outcome reflected “sustained diplomatic efforts” by the Somali Embassy in Cairo under the guidance of national leaders.

It was not immediately clear how much Somalia owed in unpaid contributions. Somalia joined the Arab League in 1974, fourteen years after independence.

The waiver comes as Somalia continues to push for broader debt relief. In 2024, the Paris Club — a group of major creditor nations including the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Norway and Japan — announced the cancellation of 99 percent of Somalia’s $2 billion debt, a move hailed as critical for the Horn of Africa nation’s fragile economic recovery after three decades of conflict.

The Paris Club said part of the debt forgiveness was carried out on a voluntary bilateral basis, while the remainder fell under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, a debt-relief framework managed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Source Hiiraan Oline