Monday July 7, 2025
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is warmly received upon arrival in Al-Alamein, Egypt, on July 6, 2025, for an official visit to discuss bilateral cooperation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The visit comes amid rising regional tensions over Ethiopia’s planned inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. (Photo: Villa Somalia/Handout)
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived Sunday in Cairo for an official visit, as regional tensions rise over Ethiopia’s plans to inaugurate a contentious dam on the Nile River.
President Mohamud is expected to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to discuss bilateral relations, including cooperation on security, trade, education, and regional diplomacy.
The visit comes as Ethiopia prepares to unveil its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a massive hydropower project that has drawn fierce opposition from downstream nations Egypt and Sudan, who fear it will reduce their share of Nile waters. Addis Ababa has invited Somalia and other regional states to attend the opening ceremony.
In a statement from Villa Somalia, President Mohamud thanked Egypt for its hospitality and emphasized the long-standing ties between the two nations, calling the visit “a reflection of deep-rooted relations between the Somali and Egyptian peoples.”
Egyptian media have reported that the leaders will also discuss maritime security in the Red Sea and Cairo’s potential role in the African Union’s post-ATMIS peacekeeping transition in Somalia, known as AUSSOM.
The visit highlights Somalia’s growing diplomatic engagement as the Horn of Africa faces a shifting political landscape shaped by transboundary water disputes, military realignments, and competing foreign alliances.
