Analysis - Tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt go back decades and reveal a web of Cold War intrigue, clandestine diplomacy and internal meddling. With Cairo winning friends and Addis Ababa making enemies, can a regional conflagration be averted?
Tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt go back decades and reveal a web of Cold War intrigue, clandestine diplomacy and internal meddling. With Cairo winning friends and Addis Ababa making enemies, can a regional conflagration be averted?
On the other hand, both Ethiopia and Somalia face critical internal challenges that must be prioritised and addressed. On 5 September 2018, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia, under President Farmajo, signed a tripartite agreement focusing on mutual respect for each other's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Second, Ethiopia clandestinely but officially committed to decolonisation in Africa, opposed the withdrawal of British forces from Egypt in 1954. Recently declassified British documents obtained by the BBC,that Haile Selassie urgently appealed to British officials, asking them not to withdraw their troops from Egypt. He argued that Egypt would use the power vacuum to exert control over Sudan, posing a threat to Ethiopia.
The incident highlighted the complexities of Somalia's path to independence and the external pressures shaping its political future. Such events may happen again, escalating tensions. By the 1990s, the collapse of the Soviet Union ended Mengistu's rule, but Egypt's Nile policies continued under Hosni Mubarak. Egypt shifted focus away from Africa, especially after a 1995 assassination attempt on Mubarak in Addis Ababa. Under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt has re-engaged with Africa, strengthening ties through investments and defence pacts with Ethiopia's neighbours. Egypt now makes peacekeepingin regions like South Sudan and the DRC.
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