Mogadishu (KAAB TV) – Somalia and Egypt announced on Sunday that the two countries have agreed to cooperate in the fight against the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.
A press release from the Ministry of Defense of Somalia said that Egypt is committed to supporting the Somali government in the fight against terrorism.
It came during the latest technical talks on the participation of African nations in the new African Union peacekeeping operation in Somalia.
The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) began its five-year mission in early January.
“XFS (Federal Government of Somalia) is aware of the role that Egypt can play in the elimination of the Khawarij, and hopes that they will contribute to the participation of other countries that are friends with the military,” said the Ministry of Defense.
Khawarij is a term used by the Somali government for the terrorist group al-Shabaab which is linked to al-Qaeda.
The latest events come days after the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, paid an official visit to Egypt and met with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who agreed to enhance the relationship between the two countries and bring it to the level of strategic cooperation.
It was also agreed to strengthen and develop the fields of education, justice, politics, security, communication and economy, according to a news release from the Somali presidency.
The two leaders also agreed to accelerate cooperation between the institutions of their countries, especially the judicial and security institutions.
Mohamud and El-Sisi witnessed an agreement signed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Somalia and Egypt, which is about exempting the holders of diplomatic passports from Somalia from entering the country, in order to enhance the diplomatic cooperation between the two governments.
Last August, during Mohamud’s two-day visit to Cairo, Egypt and Somalia signed a defense agreement to strengthen bilateral security cooperation.
During the first half of 2024, the volume of trade between the two nations reached $59 million, instead of $31 million in the same period in 2023, according to the statistics authority of Egypt.