Somalia aligns with ‘enemies’ of Ethiopia as trouble refuses to leave Horn of Africa

A Somali police officer stands guard during a march against the Ethiopia-Somaliland port deal along KM4 street in Mogadishu, Somalia on January 11, 2024. PHOTO | REUTERS

When two Egyptian aircraft landed at Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport on Tuesday, they were not delivering tourists to a new site. Instead, their cargo, which turned out to be weapons, became an irritant in Addis Ababa.

It had been long in coming. Egypt, a friend of Somalia, now is not in good terms with Ethiopia over the Grand Renaissance Dam (Gerd) built on the Nile and, which Cairo sees as a national security issue over water restrictions.