Somalia says no to Egyptian and Ethiopian peacekeepers clashing on its soil

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has said there is no possibility of Egyptian and Ethiopian peacekeepers clashing in his country, amid a bitter rivalry between the two regional heavyweights.

Egyptian troops are set to arrive in the nation soon as part of the African Union Somalia peacekeeping mission (AUSSOM), which also includes Ethiopian soldiers.

Egypt's participation in the new mission has angered Ethiopia, with the two countries locked in a long-running diplomatic dispute over the control of the Nile River waters.

Mohamud told the BBC that there will be no "proxy war" between Egypt and Ethiopia on Somali soil.

"Since the two countries' armies are not close to each other in Somalia, there is no chance of conflict," he said in an interview, adding that their troops would be stationed hundreds of kilometres apart.

"I see no reason why Egypt wants to disturb Ethiopia. I also see no reason why Ethiopia wants to disturb the Egyptian peacekeeping forces in Somalia," he added.

Somalia's federal government has been supported by an African Union peacekeeping mission since 2007 in fighting the Islamic extremist group al-Shabaab, which has ties with al-Qaida and is behind deadly attacks in the country.

That mission concluded in December 2024 and was replaced this year by AUSSOM.

Cairo's offer last year to contribute troops to the mission — following the delivery of weapons and ammunition to Somalia as part of a security pact — triggered a significant backlash from Addis Ababa, which has had major rifts with both Egypt and Somalia.

A war Trump ended?

The tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt concern the former's construction of a dam on the Blue Nile, a key tributary of the Nile River. Cairo fears it will have a devastating effect on water and irrigation supplies in Egypt unless Addis Ababa takes its needs into account.

Meanwhile, the dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia is over the breakaway region of Somaliland.

Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland last year to lease land along its coastline to establish a marine force base.

In return, Ethiopia would become the first country to formally recognise Somaliland’s independence. Somalia says the deal infringes on its sovereignty and territory.

Amid heightened tensions last year, Somalia had said Ethiopian soldiers would not be part of the new African Union peacekeeping mission in the country. Yet the two nations later reached an agreement on the presence of Ethiopian peacekeepers in Somalia.

Under the new arrangement, AUSSOM will consist of about 11,900 personnel, including soldiers, police, and civilian staff. Uganda will contribute 4,500 troops, Ethiopia 2,500, Djibouti 1,520, Kenya 1,410, and Egypt 1,091, according to local media reports.

The rift between Egypt and Ethiopia came under the global spotlight on Tuesday when US President Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly that it was one of the "seven unendable wars" that he had ended in a period of just seven months.

Trump's claim — which he has repeatedly made — once again raised eyebrows, as regional observers and analysts pointed out that Egypt and Ethiopia are not at war and that their diplomatic dispute remains unresolved.