Egypt to Hold Talks on Sending Peacekeeping Troops to Somalia

Cairo – Egypt will hold talks with Somalia next week to discuss Cairo’s troop contribution inside a multilateral force battling Islamist insurgents in the Horn of Africa nation.

Talks are scheduled for Jan. 15-17 in Cairo, according to Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, Ali Balcad.

Last month, Egypt’s foreign minister said his country would provide troops to the so-called African Union Support and Stabilization Mission following a request from Somalia.

Somalia is also considering reversing a decision to exclude Ethiopian troops from the peacekeeping mission. The shift comes amid thawing tensions between the two neighbors following mediation from Turkey.

It’s still unclear how big an Ethiopian contingent will be allowed into the country, Balcad said.  

Ethiopia has been one of the main contributors to the United Nations-backed force that’s been fighting al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, for almost two decades.

Source – Bloomberg