Somalia, Egypt agree to cooperate in fight against terrorism

MOGADISHU, Somalia

Somalia and Egypt announced Sunday that the two countries have agreed to cooperate in the fight against the al-Shabaab terrorist group.

In a statement, the Somali Defense Ministry said Egypt is committed to supporting the Somali government in the fight against terrorism

It came during final technical discussions on the African nations’ participation in a new African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

The African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) began its five-year tenure in early January.

“The FGS (Federal Government of Somalia) is cognizant of the role Egypt can partake in eliminating the Khawaarij and looks forward to their contribution alongside other Troop Partner Nations,” the Defense Ministry said.

Khawaarij is a term the Somali government uses to describe the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab terrorist group.

The latest development comes days after Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud paid an official visit to Egypt and met with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, agreeing to upgrade the relationship between the two countries to the level of a strategic partnership.

They also agreed to strengthen and develop the fields of education, justice, politics, security, communications and economy, according to a statement by the Somali presidency.

The two leaders also agreed to accelerate cooperation between their countries' institutions, especially the judicial and security authorities.

Mohamud and El-Sisi witnessed the signing of an agreement between the foreign ministers of Somalia and Egypt on exempting holders of Somali diplomatic passports from visas in order to enhance diplomatic cooperation between the two governments.

Last August, during Mohamud's two-day Cairo visit, Egypt and Somalia signed a defense pact to bolster bilateral security cooperation.

During the first half of 2024, the trade volume between the two nations reached $59 million, up from $31 million during the same period of 2023, according to Egypt’s statistics authority.