Monday October 7, 2024
Somalia’s Foreign Minister, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, is welcomed by officials upon his return to Mogadish from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia's Foreign Minister, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, recently held talks with Egypt and Eritrea, zeroing in on what Somalia describes as Ethiopia's repeated violations of its sovereignty. Both nations affirmed their support for Somalia, condemning Ethiopia's actions, which have increasingly threatened Somalia's territorial integrity.
Fiqi spoke to the media about the urgency of bolstering defences along the Ethiopia-Somalia border. He laid out plans to deploy additional troops to secure the porous boundary and crack down on arms smuggling.
"The illegal weapons entering from Ethiopia are a direct threat to our stability. We are committed to securing our borders and holding anyone involved accountable," Fiqi said.
Fiqi addressed a no-confidence motion filed by lawmakers, questioning the legitimacy of the allegations leveled against him. He dismissed the claims as baseless. Hw expressed optimism about an upcoming meeting with lawmakers, scheduled for Sunday night where he hoped to "resolve the matter swiftly."
The talks with Egypt and Eritrea followed Fiqi's strong condemnation of Ethiopia at the United Nations Security Council, where he blasted Addis Ababa's consistent undermining of Somalia's autonomy. He pointed out that Ethiopia has been accused of smuggling arms into Somalia twice in recent months—a move that has escalated tensions between the two countries.
At the heart of these tensions is Ethiopia's controversial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Somaliland, which grants Ethiopia access to the Red Sea. Somalia has condemned the agreement as an assault on its sovereignty.
Egypt has stepped up its military support for Somalia, including weapons shipments and troop training. Many analysts have pointed to Egypt's increased military support for Somalia as a deliberate effort to limit Ethiopia's growing influence in the Horn of Africa, especially in the ongoing dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which Cairo views as a serious threat to its vital water supply.
Eritrea, which controls key Red Sea shipping routes, has aligned itself with Egypt and Somalia. Although Eritrea and Ethiopia were allies during their conflict with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), their relationship remains strained, with underlying territorial and political disputes still unresolved. Eritrea's strategic location and historic rivalry with Ethiopia made it a convenient partner in this emerging trilateral alliance to counter Addis Ababa's growing regional influence.