Posted on 01/23/2024 12:38:53 PM PST by SunkenCiv
The president of Egypt, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, has expressed his support for Somalia in a dispute over an offer by the breakaway northern region of Somaliland to give land-locked Ethiopia access to its coast in exchange for recognition of its independence.
In his strongest statement yet on the issue at a press conference in Cairo alongside the president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Sisi said: “My message to Ethiopia is that trying to seize a piece of land to control it is something no one will agree to.”
He added that his country would be ready to provide “support in case of aggression against one of the Arab countries, especially when brotherly countries ask us to stand by them”, raising concerns that Cairo may become directly involved in an escalating dispute between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa.
Relations between Somalia and Ethiopia have deteriorated since early January, when Somaliland and Ethiopia announced a memorandum of understanding that bypassed the Somali government, which has not exercised control over the self-declared republic since 1991.
Officials from Somaliland have claimed that the prospective agreement would involve Ethiopia gaining a naval base along its Gulf of Aden coastline in exchange full recognition. Ethiopia has remained tight-lipped on this aspect of the deal amid growing international pressure, though several officials have hinted at their support for Somaliland’s independence...
On Wednesday, the US national security spokesperson, John Kirby, expressed concern that further tension between Somalia and Ethiopia, which Somalia has threatened might lead to war, could undermine broader efforts in the fight against al-Shabaab, an Islamist insurgency group in Somalia.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
...
Sounds like time for Biden to send billions of taxpayer dollars over there. Oh, the humanity.
Somaliland should be independent. It was a separate colony (British)for years and then independant for 6 days before merging with Somalia (Italian).
They have been abused ever since and want to go their own way. Why is the international community so against them being independent when they tend to support any other crackpot area that claims to be independent.
Egypt putting pressure on Ethiopia because Ethiopia controls the source of the Nile. The Ethiopians are building a huge dam that has the potential to completely disrupt waterflow to both Nile tributaries - the White Nile & Blue Nile. I think, I read somewhere that White & Blue are 80% of the Nile water flow. I can see Egypt going to war with Ethiopia over this. There is no Egypt without the Nile.
It's the Blue Nile. Egypt has no ability to strike and invade Ethiopia. This is really just some posturing by al-Sisi.
The regional koranimals have been targeting Ethiopia for decades and have supported the landlocking. Ethiopia finally used some intelligent diplomacy to get what it requires (currently it relies on a single rail line through Eritrea) and the country is about to bust out of its ennui. It doesn't take much, but it's likely to emerge as the big success story in Africa.
That’s why they’re lining up allies - Somalia.
Thanks, I needed the laugh.
Laugh if you this could end up being very disruptive.
Because it was so cool calm and collected before? Just stop.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Somalia
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https://africa.cgtn.com/ethiopia-to-increase-china-funded-potable-water-supply-to-djibouti/
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https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/38288/
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