What did Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed want to discuss with Somalia’s president, and what is the significance of
HassanSMohamud ‘s Addis Ababa visit coinciding with Egypt’s plan for a military base at El-Adde?
Abiy AhmedAli said the talks, based on trust and mutual respect, reflected the countries’ shared destiny and people. They followed efforts to advance regional security and economic ties.
Somalia’s growing military ties with Egypt remain a source of tension with Ethiopia. Egyptian officials recently arrived in Mogadishu and deployed to El-Adde, near the Isiley airstrip in Middle Shabelle, where a Somali National Army unit had been stationed the previous day. The site is intended to train Somali forces.
Egypt has pledged about 1,091 troops to the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty saying they would be stationed in Middle Shabelle.
This is Cairo’s most visible Horn of Africa military engagement in decades.
Ethiopia views Egypt’s presence with deep suspicion. SMS Somali TV found out Cairo’s engagement is tied to its wider rivalry with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and Red Sea influence.
Analysts say Egypt’s military support could target Ethiopia or serve as a psychological threat.
The talks also come amid Ethiopia’s internal security challenges. On 20 September 2026, seven armed groups announced the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, seeking to remove Abiy’s government.
