Ethiopia Calls on Egypt to Dialogue and Resolve Disputes Over the Renaissance Dam

Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen called on Egypt to resolve disputes, stating that his country’s doors are open for dialogue and negotiations with Cairo to end the disagreements over the Renaissance Dam. The Ethiopian Foreign Minister added that disputes with Somalia should be resolved through negotiations, calling for avoiding the use of external forces to threaten his country’s security, as he described it. Addis Ababa accused Cairo of interfering in Somalia after reports of Egypt sending military aid to Mogadishu. The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Thursday that Egypt provided military assistance to Somalia, considering it to be “tantamount to external interference.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the peacekeeping mission scheduled to be deployed in Somalia, apart from the African Union Transitional Mission (ATMIS), could increase instability in the Horn of Africa. The ministry added, “Ethiopia is closely monitoring developments in the region that could threaten its national security.” Somali Ambassador to Cairo, Ali Abdi Owari, announced on Wednesday the arrival of military equipment and delegations from Egypt to the capital Mogadishu. He explained that this step represents “preparation for Egypt’s participation in the African Union peacekeeping forces in Somalia (AMISOM), which is scheduled to replace the current African Union Transitional Mission (ATMIS) by January 2025.” He considered it “one of the practical steps to implement the outcomes of the Egyptian-Somali summit held in Cairo on August 14, between the Presidents of Egypt and Somalia, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, which witnessed the signing of a joint defense agreement between the two countries.”