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Toronto – Egyptian plan to be part of the peace keeping mission in Somalia is raising eyebrows this time from Uganda.
According to Garowe Online, Henry Oryem Okello, Uganda’s State Minister For Foreign Affairs, has vehemently opposed Egyptian move to contribute peace keeping force in Somalia.
Another cyber media source, quoted the Ugandan Minister as saying “Why does Egypt want to join now, where have they been all this time?” Uganda has been one of the main troop contributing countries for the peace keeping mission in Somalia.
It has been almost a decade since the peace keeping mission in Somalia started and the contributing countries were from the region including Ethiopia.
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) will end its mission in a few months. Egypt is trying to be part of the Proposed “African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
In addition, Egypt has already signed a bilateral defense agreement with Somalia to deploy about 5,000 forces in addition to one that Egypt wants to contribute to the peace keeping mission which is also said to be 5,000.
Ethiopia has been voicing opposition against the Egyptian move. Egyptian presence in Somalia is seen as destabilizing to the entire Horn of Africa. Growing number of countries that used to contribute troops to Somalia are voicing similar concerns.
The Egyptian plan does not have support within Somalia either. In addition to the opposition from Somaliland, regional states within Somalia itself have been opposing Egyptian presence on grounds that Somalia would be a battle ground in the conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia. Puntland and the South West region have been protesting.
The view is that Egypt is attempting to exploit Somalia to exert influence against Ethiopia in connection with the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam – a mega project over the Abbay River (Nile River)- the construction of which is almost completed.
Last month, Egypt shipped firearms, including anti-air craft artillery, to Mogadishu. Ethiopia and Somaliland expressed concern that the firearms might fall in the hands of terrorist groups operating in the country.
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