Wednesday September 24, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL)— Egyptian troops deploying to Somalia will
assume control of Sector Five in the Middle Shabelle region, replacing
Burundian forces set to withdraw in the coming weeks, Somali President Hassan
Sheikh Mohamud said Wednesday.
In an interview with the BBC, Mohamud confirmed the troops
will be stationed between the districts of Balcad and Mahaday. He rejected
media reports claiming the Egyptian contingent would deploy to the Gedo region
near the Ethiopian border, where Ethiopian troops are already based.
“There may be differences between Egypt and Ethiopia, but
not inside Somalia,” Mohamud said. “There are no Egyptian troops going to the
Ethiopian border out of nowhere, nor have Egypt asked us to go to the Ethiopian
border.”
The president stressed that Somalia would not allow its
territory to become a battleground for a proxy war between Cairo and Addis
Ababa, whose relations remain strained over disputes including the Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile.
“Somalia will not allow two countries involved in a ‘proxy
war’ to fight inside the country. Both countries have very good relations with
us, and there is no reason for them to fight inside Somalia,” he said.
Egypt’s participation in the African Union Transition
Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) was approved by the AU Peace and Security Council
in late 2024 and reinforced by a bilateral security pact signed with Mogadishu
in January 2025.
The comments follow criticism from Ethiopia’s ambassador to
Somalia, who accused Cairo of lacking peacekeeping experience and argued that
Egyptian forces would not improve Somalia’s fragile security landscape.
The Burundian National Defence Forces, whose mandate was
extended by six months, are expected to fully depart Somalia in the coming
weeks, part of a phased handover as AUSSOM prepares to wind down and Somali
security forces assume greater responsibility.