Egypt sends troops to Somalia ahead of AUSSOM deployment

Egyptian Armed Forces and equipment have started arriving in Mogadishu, weeks after the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC) confirmed Cairo's interest in contributing troops to the post-African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) dubbed African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).

The two arrived this week aboard two Egyptian Military C-130 aircraft at Aden Adde International Airport months before the exit of the ATMIS troops, their arrival is said to be part of the undisclosed agreement signed by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (Egypt) and his Somalia counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud earlier this month to assist in counter-terrorism and protection of Somalia's sovereignty.

During the signing ceremony in Cairo, President El-Sisi affirmed Egypt's support of the sovereignty of Somalia over its lands, rejecting any interference in its internal affairs.

On his part, Mr Mohamud lauded the historic pact as a testament to a future of common defence against the international terrorism "we are combating both at home and abroad adding that it serves as a blueprint for the exchange of knowledge and expertise in the pursuit of regional, continental, and international peace and security."

"The meeting touched on various regional and international issues of common interest. Both sides agreed to intensify consultation and coordination in the coming period to continue working to establish security and stability in the Horn of Africa," a statement issued by the government of Egypt said.

The two countries are yet to issue statements or comments on the force's arrival but images and reports of the soldiers embarking from the planes have been revealed.

The AU PSC had also confirmed that Djibouti had also offered to send troops to the mission that begins its operations in January 2025.

Reports indicated that AUSSOM will be made up of about 11,000 personnel comprising civilians, and military and police personnel who will be deployed in four sectors for four years.

It will run through three phases in addition to the pre-mission phase that will see them prepare to enter the war axis and reorganize areas of deployment as ATMIS completes its final exit to allow for careful coordination between the exit of ATMIS and its entry.

The other phases are scheduled to be implemented from January 1, 2025, to December 31 2026, Jan 1, 2027, to December 31, 2028, and January 1, 2029, to December 31, 2029, before a post-mission phase kicks off to liquidate the mission.

The mission's Concept of Operations (CONOPs) has been adopted by the AU PSC and tabled before the UNSC for approval.

Phased operation

Meanwhile, the drawdown of ATMIS troops was planned to happen in four phases, with a full mission handover to Somali security forces set for December 2024.

The process began last year with the first phase of the drawdown, concluding in June, during which ATMIS withdrew two thousand (2000) troops and transferred control of seven Forward Operating Bases to Somali Security Forces, as mandated by UN Security Council Resolutions 2687 and 2670.

The second phase that would have seen 3,000 troops from Somalia exiting the country and control of eight Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) transferred to the Somali National Forces was however halted following a request by the Somalia government for a three-month technical pause, the drawdown was however done a month late to the scheduled timelines.

In accordance with the ATMIS drawdown timeline, preparation for the drawdown of the third phase began in February this year and saw an additional 4000 troops leave by June 2024.

The AU PSC has since called for an assessment of the impact and implications of the Phase 3 drawdown of ATMIS troops to avoid any security vacuum during the transition phase to the AUSSOM.

The assessment report is expected to be ready by the end of September 2024.

As Mogadishu prepares for yet another transition of the main peacekeeping force, it is also seeking to bolster relations with allies to secure its sovereignty following its bitter dispute with Addis over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Somaliland allowing Ethiopia sea access and a military base in exchange for potential recognition of Somaliland.

Egypt, one of the key allies has since strengthened its bilateral relations with Somalia with the launch of direct flights between Cairo and Mogadishu, the opening of the Egyptian Embassy in Mogadishu, obtaining an Egyptian Banque Misr license to operate in Mogadishu and the recent signing of a military cooperation protocol between the two countries.