Firmly Reminds Not To Allow Security Threats Against Somalia, El-Sisi President: Don't Test Egypt

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi. (Wikimedia Commons/MSC Hildenbrand)

JAKARTA - Egypt will not allow any threats to Somalia, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Sunday, after Ethiopia said it would consider acknowledging Somaliland's independence claims in an agreement that would give him access to the seaport.

The statement is Egypt's most assertive statement, which already has a cold relationship with Ethiopia, and is a sign Cairo may be involved in a dispute that has raised tensions in the volatile Horn of Africa.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but has not yet received recognition from any country. The port rental agreement, which was agreed earlier this month but has not yet been completed, will be an advantage for Ethiopia, which has no land, while on the other hand angers Somalia.

"Egypt will not allow anyone to threaten Somalia or affect its security," President El-Sisi told a news conference with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

"Don't test Egypt, or try to threaten its brothers, especially if they ask it to intervene," he stressed.

In a memorandum of understanding on January 1, Ethiopia said it would consider recognizing Somaliland's independence in exchange for port access. They will lease 20 km (12 miles) of coastal areas around Berbera port, in Aden Bay, for 50 years for military and commercial purposes.

It is known that Ethiopia's main maritime export port is currently in neighboring Djibouti.

"My message to Ethiopia is, trying to seize a plot of land to master it is something no one will approve of," President El-Sisi said, saying cooperation in development is a better strategy.

Ethiopia on Sunday rejected criticism from Egypt for the agreement, saying the agreement was merely a commercial agreement aimed at securing access to the sea, not an attempt to annex land.

"This is not an annexation or assumption of sovereignty over any territory of the country," said Redwan Hussien, a national security adviser to Ethiopia in a post on X.

Earlier, Egypt's Foreign Minister last week called Ethiopia a source of instability in the region, which the country's foreign ministry said was "unrelevant".

Relations between Egypt and Ethiopia themselves have been strained over the years, as the large Ethiopian dams built in the Nile they use together.