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Ethiopia warns of "foreign military" threat from Somalia buildup
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    Sunday June 15, 2025


    FILE - Ethiopian National Defense Forces Chief Field Marshal Berhanu Jula speaks during a televised interview in Addis Ababa. (Photo: ETV/Handout)

    Mogadishu (HOL) — Ethiopia’s top military commander has warned that Egyptian military deployments in Somalia represent a growing threat to Ethiopia’s national security.

    Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, the Chief of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, told parliament in Addis Ababa on Saturday that foreign troops have massed inside Somalia under the guise of cooperation, but with intentions that he said could directly threaten Ethiopian sovereignty.

    “The threat is real,” Berhanu said during a briefing to lawmakers. “There are foreign forces inside Somalia whose strategic intent raises serious concerns for Ethiopia’s stability.”

    Though Berhanu did not explicitly name Egypt, his remarks come after multiple reports confirmed that Cairo signed a military cooperation agreement with Somalia in August 2024. The agreement includes plans for Egypt to deploy up to 10,000 troops to Somalia—roughly half of whom are expected to operate under the African Union’s stabilization mission, AUSSOM, with the remainder deployed under direct bilateral control. It also includes provisions for weapon transfers.

    Ethiopia, which maintains its own troops in Somalia through both the African Union mission and a separate bilateral arrangement, has expressed concern that Egypt’s growing military presence is part of a broader strategy to encircle or undermine Ethiopia.

    Tensions between the two countries have simmered for over a decade over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River. Egypt views the dam as a threat to its water supply, while Ethiopia sees it as a sovereign development project.

    Berhanu told lawmakers that while Ethiopia’s initial military presence in Somalia was aimed at stabilizing the region and assisting in the fight against Al-Shabaab, changing dynamics on the ground now require a security recalibration.

    “Our presence in Somalia has always been about supporting peace and counterterrorism,” he said. “But the environment is shifting, and we have to reassess what’s in our national interest.”

    He did not disclose the number of Ethiopian troops operating under bilateral terms but indicated that defence planners are reviewing the country’s strategic posture in response to what he called “emerging regional threats.”

    Somali officials have defended the agreement with Egypt, stating it is intended to rebuild the country’s national army and enhance regional cooperation. Egypt’s involvement in AUSSOM, Somali authorities say, was approved by the African Union and poses no threat to neighbouring countries.

    Still, the timing of the military pact — coming just months after Ethiopia signed a highly contentious memorandum of understanding with Somaliland — has further strained relations between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu. The agreement, signed in January 2024, granted Ethiopia access to a portion of Somaliland’s Red Sea coastline in exchange for what Somaliland’s leaders described as a pathway to formal recognition. The Somali federal government swiftly condemned the deal as a violation of its sovereignty and international law, immediately recalling its ambassador and declaring the MoU null and void.

    Although tensions eased following a Turkish-brokered dialogue later that year — in which Ethiopia and Somalia agreed to pursue future cooperation on sea access — Addis Ababa has promised to implement the deal, but has not publicly renounced the Somaliland agreement. Somaliland authorities, for their part, insist the pact remains valid.

     





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