Egyptian Forces will soon be deployed to Sector Five of Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region, taking over security responsibilities from Burundian forces that are preparing to withdraw, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced in a recent interview with the BBC.
The new contingent will be stationed between the towns of Balcad and Mahaday, an area that has seen frequent clashes with the militant group al-Shabab.
The president dismissed speculation that Egyptian forces would be sent to the Gedo region along Somalia’s border with Ethiopia.
“There may be differences between Egypt and Ethiopia, but not inside Somalia,” President Hassan said. “There are no Egyptian troops going to the Ethiopian border out of nowhere, nor have Egypt asked us to go to the Ethiopian border.”
President Hassan emphasized that Somalia would not be drawn into regional disputes, saying his government would not allow the country to become an arena for a proxy war between Cairo and Addis Ababa, whose relations remain tense over the Nile waters and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
“Somalia will not allow two countries involved in a ‘proxy war’ to fight inside the country. Both countries have very good relations with us, and there is no reason for them to fight inside Somalia,” he added.
The Egyptian deployment is part of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which replaced ATMIS earlier this year. Egypt formally joined the mission after the AU Peace and Security Council endorsed its participation in late 2024, followed by a bilateral security pact signed with Mogadishu in January 2025.
Burundi, one of the longest-serving troop contributors, had its mission extended briefly but is now preparing to exit from Somalia.
The handover in Middle Shabelle marks the latest step in a gradual transition designed to put Somali forces in charge of national security as AUSSOM scales down.
The move has stirred unease in Addis Ababa, where officials argue that Egypt lacks peacekeeping experience and may not improve stability in Somalia.
Ethiopian troops are already stationed in parts of southern and western Somalia, raising concerns that Cairo’s entry could deepen regional rivalries.
Somalia’s leadership, however, has insisted that foreign deployments will remain under its command and will not be allowed to undermine relations with its neighbors.
Middle Shabelle is considered strategically vital, lying just north of Mogadishu and frequently targeted by al-Shabab insurgents.
Control of this sector is crucial for protecting supply routes into the capital and supporting the federal government’s ongoing military campaign against the extremist group.
With Burundian troops preparing to depart, the effectiveness of Egypt’s first major peacekeeping mission on Somali soil will be closely watched by both Somali citizens and regional powers.
