ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is walking a diplomatic tightrope as he considers attending Ethiopia’s inauguration of a major dam project, a move likely to provoke tension with Egypt.
Mohamud is in Addis Ababa for the African Climate Summit, but his expected presence at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) ceremony has drawn scrutiny.
The event is politically sensitive. Both Egypt and Ethiopia are regional allies of Somalia as they remain bitterly divided over Nile River water rights.
Egypt reportedly views President Mohamud’s move as a betrayal, citing Cairo’s support for Somalia last year when Ethiopia expressed interest in gaining access to Somalia’s coast.
“This could be seen as a national security threat by Egypt,” said opposition lawmaker Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame. “They may feel Somalia is turning its back on a key ally.”
The situation could further complicate Egypt’s plan to deploy troops under the African Union’s new peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
On Sunday, an Egyptian military delegation departed Mogadishu after concluding a week-long reconnaissance mission in the Middle Shabelle region, where their troops are expected to be stationed.
The Egyptian forces are set to replace Burundian peacekeepers, amid growing Ethiopian concerns about regional rivalries encroaching closer to home.
Warsame urged the Somali government to exercise caution and adopt a balanced diplomatic strategy that safeguards Somalia’s interests without provoking either country.
He also criticized President Mohamud for centralizing foreign policy decisions and sidelining ministries, intelligence agencies, and parliamentary oversight bodies.
“President Mohamud appears to be running foreign policy single-handedly,” Warsame said. “That’s dangerous for a country navigating complex regional dynamics.”
He pointed to instances where senior officials, including the foreign minister and intelligence chief, were excluded from key meetings with foreign delegations — some of which included lower-ranking officials from visiting countries.
“Foreign policy should be a collective effort,” Warsame said. “No one person should define strategy, objectives, and execution alone.”
Somalia now finds itself caught in a growing geopolitical rivalry between Egypt and Ethiopia, raising concerns that even symbolic gestures could carry real diplomatic consequences
