Egypt sends arms to Somalia following security deal, sources say

By Abdi Sheikh and Giulia Paravicini

MOGADISHU (Reuters) -Egypt delivered its first military aid to Somalia in more than four decades on Tuesday, three diplomatic and Somali government sources said, a move likely to deepen strains between the two countries and Ethiopia.

Egypt and Somalia have drawn closer together this year after Ethiopia signed a preliminary deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland to lease coastal land in exchange for possible recognition of its independence from Somalia.

The Mogadishu government has called the deal an assault on its sovereignty and said it will block it by all means necessary.

Egypt, at odds with Ethiopia for years over Addis Ababa's construction of a vast hydro dam on the headwaters of the Nile River, has condemned the Somaliland deal. It signed a security pact with Mogadishu earlier this month and has offered to send troops to a new peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

Somalia has previously threatened to kick out Ethiopia's up to 10,000 troops, who are there as part of the peacekeeping mission and under bilateral agreements to fight al Shabaab militants, if the deal is not cancelled.

Two Egyptian military planes arrived at Mogadishu airport on Tuesday morning with weapons and ammunition, two diplomats and a senior Somali official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A video shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed the planes on the airport tarmac.

One of the diplomats said that Somalia was "playing with fire" by importing the Egyptian arms and antagonising Ethiopia.

Somalia and Egypt's foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Egypt's offer to contribute troops to a new peacekeeping mission to be launched next year in Somalia was announced in an African Union communique earlier this month. Cairo has not commented on the matter publicly.

"If the Egyptians put boots on the ground and deploy troops along the border with Ethiopia, it could bring the two into direct confrontation," said Rashid Abdi, an analyst with the Sahan Research think-tank.

"The threat of a direct shooting war is low, but a proxy conflict is possible."

Ethiopia's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement that the country "cannot stand idle while other actors are taking measures to destabilise the region", saying it had worked to promote peace and security for Somalia and the region, including discussions to resolve differences with Somalia.

"Instead of pursuing these efforts for peace, the Government of Somalia is colluding with external actors aiming to destabilise the region," the ministry said.

Ethiopia's statement did not mention Egypt or its arms delivery to Somalia.

Turkey has hosted two rounds of indirect talks since July between Somalia and Ethiopia over the Somaliland deal, which is yet to be finalised. A third round is expected next month.

Landlocked Ethiopia says it needs access to the sea. Mogadishu insists that Somaliland, which has not obtained international recognition despite enjoying practical autonomy for more than 30 years, is part of Somalia.

(Reporting by Giulia Paravicini, Feisal Omar, Abdi Sheikh, Nafisa Eltahir and Dawit Endeshaw; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Aaron Ross, Angus MacSwan, George Obulutsa and Jan Harvey)