MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia has officially removed Ethiopia from the list of troop-contributing countries for the new African Union mission due to its refusal to cancel the MoU with Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia.
Speaking to state-run media, Defense Minister Abdikadir Mohamed Nur said Ethiopian troops won’t be part of the new African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which starts January 1, 2025.
“Ethiopia has violated Somalia’s sovereignty,” Minister Nur explained, which is why they’ve been excluded from the mission. He also added that countries contributing troops to the mission will soon receive invitations from Somalia.
He said the new mission is limited, mainly focused on offering technical support to the Somali National Army in its fight against Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked group.
Somali army is expected to take over all camps and towns held by ATMIS peacekeepers, as the ATMIS mission is set to end by December 31.
Last month, as part of his trip to meet with troop-contributing countries, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited Kenya, Djibouti, Burundi, and Uganda, where he talked about the upcoming mission.
However, President Mohamud cut his visit short and didn’t make it to Ethiopia, even though it’s one of the countries with troops in the ATMIS mission due to its MoU with Somaliland, which Somalia sees as a violation of its territorial integrity.
The agreement grants Ethiopia access to a 20-kilometer stretch of Red Sea coastline in exchange for recognizing Somaliland’s push for independence.
In retaliation to the MoU, President Mohamud invited Egypt to join the new AU mission, replacing Ethiopia—a move that angered Ethiopia, as it sees Egypt as a regional rival due to their ongoing dispute over the Nile waters. By resisting calls to revoke its MoU with Somaliland, Ethiopia lost its place as a troop-contributing country and now has until December 31 to pull its troops out of Somalia.
Egypt accepted the invitation and, by late August, sent a ship to Mogadishu loaded with weapons, armored vehicles, and other supplies. On top of that, Egypt plans to send at least 10,000 troops to Somalia, which has raised concerns in Ethiopia.
Egypt has thrown its support behind Somalia in the dispute with Ethiopia over the MoU with Somaliland, adding fuel to the already heated tensions between the two countries.
Ethiopia, meanwhile, has denied any connection to Somalia’s claims and rejected the allegations surrounding the MoU. While Somalia accuses Ethiopia of attempting to annex its territory, Ethiopia firmly denies it, leaving the territorial dispute unresolved.
Reported by Abdirisak Mohamud Tuuryare
