Egyptian Teams Reportedly Prepare Site for Planned Troop Deployment in Somalia

GOOBJOOG NEWS|CAIRO: Reports indicate that Egyptian officers, advisers and technical teams are preparing a location for troops Egypt plans to deploy to Somalia, although the site has not yet been officially confirmed.

A report published by The New Arab identified the proposed location as Ceelcade, near the former Cisiley airfield in Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region.

The site is north of Mogadishu and is reportedly about 400 kilometres from the nearest point along the Somalia-Ethiopia border.

The report differs from earlier information linking the planned Egyptian deployment to the Gedo and Hiiraan regions, both of which are closer to Ethiopia.

However, neither the Somali nor Egyptian government has officially confirmed that a military base or training centre for Egyptian forces will be established in Ceelcade.

In 2025, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Egyptian troops would not be deployed along the Ethiopian border. He said they would instead be stationed in parts of Middle Shabelle previously occupied by Burundian forces, specifically mentioning the area between Balcad and Mahadaay.

Egypt has confirmed that it will contribute troops to the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia, known as AUSSOM. Somalia and Egypt also signed a defence cooperation agreement in 2024.

In recent months, Egyptian military delegations have held meetings in Mogadishu with officials from Somalia’s Ministry of Defence and senior Somali National Army officers. The talks reportedly focused on training, professional development and strengthening the capabilities of Somali forces.

Egypt’s participation is expected to support Somalia’s security efforts, particularly operations against Al-Shabaab and initiatives to strengthen the Somali National Army.

However, tensions between Cairo and Addis Ababa have increased the importance of clearly defining where Egyptian forces will operate and what responsibilities they will have.

Although Egypt’s participation in AUSSOM has been confirmed, detailed information about the number of troops, their official deployment locations and their expected arrival date has not been released.

The Federal Government of Somalia is therefore being urged to clarify the status of the reported site and whether it is intended to serve as a permanent base, a training centre or an AUSSOM military position.