“We Don’t Need Egypt!” “We Need Ethiopia!” were the slogans seen on the banners protestors across the major cities of Somalia were holding.
The huge wave of protests that has erupted across Somalia, including in the capital Mogadishu, where large crowds seen rallying against perceived Egyptian interference of State’s affairs.
Somalia’s relation with its neighbor Ethiopia, who has been paying invaluable sacrifices to the peace and security of Somalians, has not been in good shape.
The government of Somalia has thus been seeking without forethought the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops under ENDF Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia as well as those under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which will end mission by January 2025.
This, as protesting Somalians explain, is a perceived threat of Egyptian interference to their national sovereignty as well as to the region’s peace and security.
Now Somalians gathered in defiant protest on voicing their deep unease with the Somali government’s plan to replace Ethiopian troops with Egyptian forces. The residents claim the move could unravel the fragile security gains in their respective towns, exposing them once again to the ruthless attacks of Al-Shabaab militants.
According to Hiiraan, a popular local media, “the demonstration, organized by local officials and community leaders, was a public rejection of what they see as a dangerous gamble by Mogadishu. In a joint statement, the Hudur District Administration and Bakool Regional Administration expressed their unwavering support for the Ethiopian soldiers who, as they put it, have long sacrificed their blood to defend the town against enemies and worked alongside the community to ensure they live peacefully in their homes.”
The statement also conveyed strong opposition to the deployment of Egyptian forces, which they believe could “disrupt the overall security of the region” and “once again inflict suffering on the vulnerable local population that has endured hardships from terrorist enemies for so long.”
Hudur officials urged the Somali Federal Government to focus on resolving its diplomatic issues with Ethiopia rather than introducing new challenges that could harm the local population.
The strong local protest against Somalia-Egypt military tie comes against the backdrop of heightened tension between Somalia and Ethiopia, which came after recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ethiopia and Somaliland, according to the local medai.
In response, Somalia has snubbed Ethiopian troops in favor of Egyptians in the upcoming African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), the successor to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
Cognizant of the political volatility of the region as well as the role of Egypt in regional stability, the Ethiopian government unwelcomed the advent of Egypt, which has never been lending a hand to Somalians when their existence has been threatened by Al-Shabab and Al-Qaida extremist groups over the past several decades.
Egypt, which sees itself as a counterbalance to Ethiopia’s influence in the region, particularly in relation to the Nile River and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), is now coming to affect regional peace through Somalia.