MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –
Source: The Holy See in Italian
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 weapons
Mogadishu (Agenzia Fides) – Wars (for now?) of words and press releases in the Horn of Africa between Somalia, Somaliland and Ethiopia around recent military supplies that arrived in the region. On September 20, the government of Mogadishu condemned what it called “an illegal supply of weapons” by the government of Addis Ababa to Puntland, an autonomous Somali region that has its own institutions but which has not yet declared its intention to separate from the rest of Somalia. This choice was instead made by Somaliland, a northern region that has declared its independence from Mogadishu since 1991. On January 1, 2024, Somaliland signed a naval agreement with Ethiopia (see Fides 3/1/2024), which aroused the ire of Mogadishu because in exchange for the concession of a naval base and control of a stretch of its coast, Somaliland obtains from Ethiopia to be recognized as an independent state. Addis Ababa thus becomes the great military protector of Somaliland, increasing Mogadishu’s fears for the territorial integrity of Somalia. Concerns now accentuated by Ethiopia’s supply of weapons to Puntland. The authorities of the autonomous region, while recognizing those of Mogadishu, are at loggerheads with the latter, because they claim not to have received from Mogadishu the aid necessary to fight the jihadists present on its territory. These are both groups linked to the Shabaab and the Islamic State. The Ethiopian government therefore seems to be inserting itself into the tensions between Puntland and Somalia to widen its room for maneuver in the area. A few days after the tough stance taken by the government of Mogadishu, protests have arrived from Addis Ababa over the arrival in Somalia of Egyptian military supplies destined for the local armed forces. This is the second delivery of weapons by Cairo under the military agreement signed between Egypt and Somalia in August (see Fides 8/30/2024). According to the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, the supply of weapons by “external forces” risks “exacerbating the fragile security context” and also running the risk that these weapons “end up in the hands of terrorists in Somalia”. “The uncontrolled proliferation of weapons in an already fragile environment increases the risk of an arms race, with various factions probably trying to increase their stockpiles to safeguard their own interests,” echoed his colleague from Somaliland. Tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia regarding the management of the Nile waters have therefore moved to Somalia, with the Somali government, backed by Cairo (but Mogadishu also has important military agreements with Turkey which is currently trying to mediate, see Fides 2/7/2024)) attempted to fuel internal tensions in the neighboring country (see Fides 17/9/2024). (LM) (Agenzia Fides 24/9/2024) Share:
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.