Saturday September 6, 2025
Egyptian officers meet AUSSOM and Somali officials in Mogadishu on Sept. 6, 2025, after completing a weeklong assessment ahead of Egypt’s troop deployment. (CREDIT/ AU)
Mogadishu (HOL) — An Egyptian military delegation has completed a weeklong assessment in Somalia to prepare for the deployment of Egyptian troops to the African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), officials confirmed Saturday.
The 16-member team, led by Lt. Gen. Islam Aly Ibrahim Radwan, spent six days conducting site inspections and holding consultations with Somali and African Union officials before meeting Saturday with Ambassador El Hadji Ibrahima Diene, the AU’s special representative for Somalia and head of AUSSOM.
Diene welcomed Egypt’s planned contribution, saying the deployment would strengthen AUSSOM’s ability to support peace and security efforts across Somalia. He added that the AU mission is committed to facilitating the integration of Egyptian forces to ensure their arrival bolsters both security operations and Somali state institutions.
Radwan, for his part, praised AUSSOM’s cooperation and warm reception, stressing Egypt’s readiness to play an active role in advancing the AU’s security objectives.
Somalia’s Ministry of Defense had already welcomed Egypt’s participation, confirming on Aug. 26 that trained units would be stationed in Hiiraan, Lower Shabelle, and Gedo—frontline regions in the fight against al-Shabab. The ministry said the deployment expands multinational support at a time when Somali and allied forces are intensifying operations against militants.
Egypt’s involvement was formally approved by the AU Peace and Security Council in late 2024 and reinforced by a bilateral security pact signed in January 2025.
The deployment has also stirred regional tensions. Ethiopian officials have voiced concern that Egyptian troops in Somalia could pose “a political and strategic challenge” to the roughly 4,000 Ethiopian soldiers already stationed in the country. Last week, Egyptian lawmaker Mustafa Bakhri dismissed Addis Ababa’s objections, saying the deployment “comes at the invitation of Somalia’s government and with the approval of the AU Peace and Security Council, granting it full legitimacy”.
Relations between Somalia and Ethiopia were tested in January 2024 when Addis Ababa signed a memorandum with Somaliland granting it port access at Berbera in exchange for possible recognition of Somaliland’s independence.
