Egypt to deploy brigade in Somalia before 1,000 troops join AUSSOM
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Caasimada Online
Egypt plans to send a first combat brigade and additional military assets to Somalia’s Shabeellaha Dhexe region before integrating about 1,000 soldiers into the African mission AUSSOM. The bilateral deployment and its coordination with forces already present remain to be clarified, according to The EastAfrican.
Egypt plans first to deploy a combat brigade in Somalia’s Shabeellaha Dhexe region, before integrating about 1,000 soldiers into the African Union’s AUSSOM mission, according to sources familiar with the plan cited by Kenyan daily The EastAfrican.
The initial contingent would be sent under a bilateral agreement between Cairo and the Somali federal government. Egypt would establish a command centre at Ceelcadde, near Cisiley airport, north of Mogadishu, where African Union troops from Burundi are currently deployed, reports The EastAfrican.
Egypt was allocated 1,090 troops for AUSSOM in December 2024, but funding difficulties delayed its participation, according to the newspaper. The approximately 1,000 troops planned would join the mission after the necessary authorisations were obtained; the others could be deployed elsewhere at the request of Somalia.
The spokesman for the Burundian forces in Somalia, Major Roger Ndayibasa, told The EastAfrican that his soldiers would remain under the UN support arrangement and be ready to leave once they had received a replacement. The timetable for their departure and the arrangements for coordination with Egyptian troops remain to be clarified.
