Egypt delivers more arms to Somalia

An Egyptian warship has delivered a second major cache of weaponry to Somalia including anti-aircraft guns and artillery – in what a News24 report calls a move likely to stoke further friction between the two countries and Ethiopia. Ties between Egypt and Somalia have grown this year over their shared mistrust of Ethiopia, prompting Cairo to send several planeloads of arms to Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, after the countries signed a joint security pact in August. Ethiopia angered Mogadishu by agreeing to a preliminary deal in January with the breakaway region of Somaliland to lease land for a port in exchange for possible recognition of its independence from Somalia. Egypt, at odds with Ethiopia for years over Addis Ababa's construction of a vast hydro dam on the headwaters of the Nile River, has condemned the Somaliland deal. The Egyptian warship began unloading the weapons last Sunday. Security forces blocked off the quayside and surrounding roads on Sunday and Monday as convoys carried the weapons to a defence ministry building and nearby military bases. Egyptian media reported that Egypt's embassy in Mogadishu had warned its citizens not to travel to Somaliland, due to the security situation in the region.

Full News24 report