Somalia and Egypt seek to strengthen military cooperation

Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Muallem Fiqhi and his Egyptian counterpart Abdul Majid Saqr discussed strengthening military cooperation between the two countries, the Somali Defense Ministry reported.

It is noted that at a meeting held in Cairo on September 29, the parties expressed their commitment to work together to ensure peace and stability in the region.

Minister Fiqhi expressed gratitude for Egypt's important role in promoting peace and stability, and noted that the two countries share common views on strategic issues of mutual interest.

For his part, the Egyptian Defense Minister expressed Cairo's readiness to further expand military cooperation with Mogadishu. He also confirmed that Egyptian troops will soon be deployed to Somalia as part of the African Union Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).

In August, Egyptian forces under AUSSOM completed their initial training phase. In January, Somalia and Egypt agreed to cooperate in the fight against al-Shabaab militants.