Egypt Reportedly Working on Military Base in Somaliland

Egypt does not seem to be stopping to toil for getting a military foothold somewhere near Ethiopia. This time it is Somaliland. The news of latest attempt came soon after failure of alleged attempt to distablize Ethiopia internally through the agency of local non-state actors.

Borkena
July 20, 2020

Egypt has approached Somaliland with the aim to set up a military base. A report by Somaliland Standard on Saturday said that an Egyptian delegation has met with Somaliland President, Musa Bihi Abdi. The two sides have discussed the proposal, according to the source.

However, the report did not say if Somaliland has nodded or declined for the Egyptian proposal.  What is known is that the two sides have an agreement “on exchange of high level representation offices in Hargeisa and Cairo.”

If Somaliland accepts the proposal, said the source, it will get recognition from Egypt which it sees as a passport for recognition of a bunch of Arab League Members.

It also sees Egypt’s approach to get a military foothold in Somaliland as a response to Somalia for “siding with Ethiopia” over GERD dispute.

Last month, there was a rumor that Egypt attempted to secure a military base in South Sudan – news that the latter dismissed as a baseless one. South Sudanese Ambassador to Ethiopia, H.E. James P. Morgan, told Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew that “his country will not do anything that would harm Ethiopia.”

Egypt and Ethiopia failed to reach an agreement over the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Heavy rain received last week in the country helped start the filling of the dam while the negotiation between the three countries is expected to continue.