Somalia has signed another defense agreement. This is Somalia’s 9th defense agreement, this time with Tanzania. It has already signed 8 defense agreements with other countries. The MOU between Somalia and Tanzania was signed by Somali FM Ahmed Moalim Fiqi and Tanzania’s Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo.
Somalia in the past signed security agreements with Ethiopia, Egypt, Eritrea, Türkiye, UAE, US, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Somalia is signing these agreements for many reasons, the biggest reason being the activities of extremist group named Al- Shabab. This armed group continues to carry out attacks on the government forces, civilians, and military targets in Somalia. Somalia’s president Hassan Mohammad Sheikh is trying hard also to make international partners by signing these agreements.
Somalia signed these agreements to gain better military capabilities, so that it can send its forces to other countries for the improvement of training and operational capabilities. This could include providing advanced weaponry, intelligence-sharing, and joint exercises to better counter threats from groups like al-Shabaab or other regional challenges.
Somalia’s security situation is often linked to broader regional dynamics. The country has been under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and, more recently, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). On January 1, 2025, new peacekeeping mission called African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) will take over.
One of the reasons behind recent defense agreements is the dispute between Somalia & Ethiopia. Ethiopia, earlier this year, signed a controversial MoU with Somaliland. Somalia calls this MoU a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. In order to undermine the MoU, Somalia this year signed defense cooperation agreements with Turkey and Egypt.
Last week, Ethiopia and Somalia signed Ankara Declaration, mediated by Turkiye. The two countries are set to start negotiation in February to solve their bilateral disputes.
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