Ethiopia says ‘cannot stand idle’ amid Egyptian plans to deploy troops to Somalia 

Abiy Ahmed

MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Ethiopia said on Wednesday it cannot stand idly by as Somalia colludes with external actors destabilizing the region, a day after two Egyptian military aircraft carrying weapons landed at Mogadishu airport. 

In a statement, the Ethiopian government said a new African Union peacekeeping mission that is set to commence in January is “fraught with dangers to the region”, weeks after Egypt, Ethiopia’s arch-rival promised to contribute troops to the mission. 

Ethiopia “cannot stand idle while other actors taking measures to destabilize the region,” the statement added. 

It comes amid reports that Egypt, which is involved in a heightened dispute with Addis Ababa over the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River, will deploy 10,000 strong force to help the Somali government expel Ethiopian defense forces in Somalia. 

Mogadishu has repeatedly vowed to expel Ethiopian troops in the country once their mandate expires in December. 

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