Egyptian ship delivers weapons to Somalia

An Egyptian ship has delivered a significant consignment of military equipment to Somalia, security officials in the capital, Mogadishu, are quoted as saying.

Somali Defence Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur thanked Egypt in a social media post without specifically mentioning the weapons.

This is the second such delivery from Egypt in a month as relations deteriorate between Somalia and its neighbour and former close ally Ethiopia.

Egypt, a long-time rival of Ethiopia, has taken the opportunity to move closer to Somalia, stoking concerns about rising tensions in the Horn of Africa.

The military cargo, carried on a warship that arrived on Sunday, included anti-aircraft guns and artillery, the Reuters news agency reports citing security and port officials.

A BBC reporter in Mogadishu himself saw weapons being transported through the streets of the city.

In his post on X, Mr Nur is pictured with his back to the camera looking at a docked naval vessel.

"Somalia has passed the stage where they were dictated to and awaited the affirmation of others on who it will engage with," he wrote.

"We know our own interests, and we will choose between our allies and our enemies. Thank you Egypt."

This sentiment is a result of shifting alliances in the Horn of Africa.

Ethiopia has for years been a staunch backer of the government in Mogadishu in its fight against al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabab.

But Somalia is furious that landlocked Ethiopia signed a preliminary deal at the beginning of this year with the self-declared republic of Somaliland to lease a section of its coastline. Somalia sees Somaliland as part of its territory.

Meanwhile, Addis Ababa and Cairo have been at loggerheads for more than a decade over Ethiopia's construction of a vast hydroelectric dam on the River Nile. Egypt sees this as a possible threat to the volume of water flowing down the river, which it relies on.

Ethiopia has expressed its concern at the arrival of the weapons in Mogadishu, saying it could exacerbate the security situation in Somalia.

Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Taye Atske-Selasie said they could fall into the hands of militants.

Somaliland, which is not recognised internationally, had a similar message on Monday saying it was "deeply alarmed" by the shipment.

"The unchecked proliferation of arms in an already fragile environment heightens the risk of an arms race, with various factions likely seeking to acquire their own stockpiles in order to safeguard their interests," Somaliland's ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.

At the weekend, in a further sign of the strains in the region, Egypt called on its citizens living in Somaliland to leave for security reasons.

This is not the first time weapons have arrived in Somalia from Egypt. In August, two Egyptian military planes delivered arms and ammunition to Mogadishu.

That delivery came after a deal signed earlier in August during a state visit to Cairo by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Ethiopia said at the time that it could not “stand idle while other actors take measures to destabilise the region”.

Somalia’s defence minister hit back, saying Ethiopia should stop “wailing” as everyone “will reap what they sowed” - a reference to their worsening diplomatic relations.

Ethiopia currently has 3,000 troops in Somalia as part of an African Union force supporting the government. There is now a plan for up to 5,000 Egyptian soldiers to join a new-look AU force at the end of the year, with another 5,000 reportedly to be deployed separately.

Ethiopia also currently has between 5,000 and 7,000 soldiers stationed in several regions under separate bilateral agreements.

Somalia's prime minister has warned Ethiopia that they would have to withdraw unless it pulled out from the port deal with Somaliland.