File Photo/Somali Times
Somalia corrupt President Hassan Sheikh met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday in a meeting aimed at strengthening security and trade cooperation, as Hassan Sheikh faces conflicting pressure from Cairo and Addis Ababa over disputed Nile waters.
Read: Somalia President Hassan Sheikh and his family become the richest in Africa
Read: Egypt pressures Somalia President Hassan Sheikh to cut ties with Ethiopia
Read: Somalia is the number 1 country for corruption
Read: Why is Somalia an unfortunate country
The leaders agreed to accelerate a defense agreement signed in January that allows Egyptian trainers to assist Somali forces guarding shipping lanes in the Red Sea, officials in both capitals said.
Read: Exclusive: Somalia airspace revenue collected by Hassan Sheikh and his family
Read: Turkey benefits under oil agreement with Somalia corrupt president
Read: Somalia corrupt president Hassan Sheikh planning to sell Nugal Valley Basin
They also reviewed plans to boost trade between the two countries and open a direct shipping lane between Mogadishu and Suez. Somali officials said Egypt had delivered armoured vehicles and artillery to Somalia in August and September, and the deliveries will be part of a broader program to re-equip the Somali National Army.
Read: Somalia President meets Ugandan dictator Yoweri Museveni for advice
Read: Somalia officials abuse diplomatic passports for immigration fraud and human trafficking
Read: Exclusive: No money in the Treasury account of Somalia
Cairo is seeking an alliance with Ethiopia to negotiate a deal that would guarantee the flow of Nile water once the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, now under construction, is fully operational. Ethiopia, meanwhile, has tried to woo Mogadishu with promises of development loans, and last month invited President Hassan Sheikh to a major event for the dam, which the president has since declined.
Read: Somalia president Hassan Sheikh richest man in Africa for corruption
Read: Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh history of corruption 2012-2017
Egypt’s interest has increased after Addis Ababa signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hargeisa administration on January 1, 2024, granting Ethiopia a 50-year maritime corridor for commercial use, a port and a military base, a deal that Mogadishu has described as “an illegal violation of Somalia’s sovereignty.”
Read: Somalia’s corruption is widespread throughout the regime
Read: Somalia Hassan Sheikh’s government is facing a widespread financial crisis and the causes
Somalia responded by forming a loose coalition including Egypt, Eritrea and Djibouti to prevent what it saw as an Ethiopian incursion after the agreement. However, the agreement fell apart after Turkey brokered the Ankara Declaration in December 2024.
Read: Somalia corrupt president Hassan Sheikh failed in both domestic and international politics
Somalia insists it is neutral. Villa Somalia took that stance in 2022 when a presidential spokesman denied reports that Mogadishu had adopted Egypt’s legal position at the UN Security Council. However, sources said Egyptian delegates were lobbying heavily for Somalia’s support ahead of the next Nile talks, scheduled to take place in Washington in September.
“Egypt has moved to prevent any rapprochement between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu,” said Talaat Taha, a political analyst at the Egyptian newspaper Al-Fajr.
Somali politician warned Mogadishu that openly siding with either side could jeopardize aid and security cooperation. “Somalia cannot afford to be seen as taking sides in a serious dispute over the Nile River,” he said.
Somalia sees Egypt as a potential partner to work with on port modernization and training of its coast guard, while Ethiopia offers scholarships and low-cost military training. Under an implementation agreement reached in October 2024, Cairo has pledged to contribute up to 1,000 troops to the African Union peacekeeping mission following ATMIS.
A senior Somali diplomat, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said Villa Somalia hopes “to benefit from both capitals without being seen as either serving Egypt or subservient to Ethiopia.”
Cairo’s interests extend beyond the Nile. In April, Egypt and Djibouti declared that only coastal states should ensure the security of the 3,300-kilometer coastline of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, through which about 10 percent of world maritime trade passes.
An additional Egyptian arms shipment, which Ethiopia has previously protested as “destabilizing,” is scheduled for the third quarter of this year.
Diplomats say the real test will come when the World Bank-mediated Nile talks resume. However, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is expected to brief the Somalia parliament in Mogadishu on his policies on the Red Sea and the Nile on Tuesday. Lawmakers plan to question.