Disclosed: Hassan Sheikh's Discussion With Afwerki Touches Regional Security Issues

by: Horn Observer Contributor | 11 July 2024 19:51

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Disclosed: Hassan Sheikh's Discussion With Afwerki Touches Regional Security Issues

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) - Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has made six trips to Eritrea since taking office on May 15, 2022.

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President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud meets Eritrean President Isas Afwerki on 9 July 2024.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) - Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has made six trips to Eritrea since taking office on May 15, 2022.

Despite his public condemnation of Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki and the oppressive conditions faced by the Eritrean people, President Mohamud appears to have developed affection with Afwerki and his authoritarian regime.

These visits, spanning from July 2022 to July 2024, have focused primarily on security issues, particularly Eritrea’s role in training Somali forces. However, according to intelligence sources and subsequent briefing report we reviewed, Mohamud’s most recent trip to Asmara addressed several key contentious issues in the Horn of Africa.

Main reason for my recent visit to brotherly country Eritrea was to pay a visit to SNA Air Force units who’re being trained there, and also to underlined the imperative of consolidating robust and all-rounded bilateral ties of cooperation that advance the interests of both… pic.twitter.com/jXNfbUURlm
— Hassan Sheikh Mahamud (@HassanSMahamud) July 9, 2024

President Mohamud arrived at Asmara Airport on July 9, where he was welcomed by Afwerki. The visit included extensive discussions at the presidential palace, and Mohamud also visited Somali soldiers undergoing training at the Eritrean Air Force Headquarters in Asmara, as confirmed by Eritrean government media.

Based on an intelligence briefing leaked to us, the following report details President Mohamud’s discussions with Afwerki. It remains unclear how the 78-year-old Eritrean president reacted.

In his conversation with Afwerki, Mohamud expressed his loss of trust in the African Union (AU) due to its Ethiopian-dominated policies. He requested Afwerki’s assistance in training a strong presidential guard unit capable of preventing attacks on Villa Somalia, citing Eritrea’s history of a robust army with guerrilla warfare tactics.

He said the Ethiopians are now siding with Somali regional administrations of Jubbaland, Puntland and Southwest who are growingly becoming anti-FGS.

Mohamud also emphasized that he would like to exclude Ethiopian forces from the new AU contingent replacing ATMIS, which is currently undergoing a drawdown. He expressed strong disapproval of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, describing him as "rude and uncooperative".

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud noted that relations between Somalia and Ethiopia could improve if Abiy Ahmed were persuaded to cancel the Memorandum of Understanding with the breakaway region of "Somaliland".

Regarding the upcoming AU chairperson election, Mohamud voiced his support for Kenya's Raila Odinga after the Djibouti candidate appeared unsuccessful.

The Somali president also addressed emerging security concerns in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, highlighting the UAE’s "destabilizing efforts" by partnering with Somaliland to establish a base in Berbera and the active presence of Houthis in the region. He expressed his concern that UAE has been pushing to convince U.S to set up a new military base in Berbera which could "boast Somaliland relations with the west".

President Mohamud proposed a new partnership between Somalia, Eritrea, and Djibouti, acknowledging the strained relations between Asmara and Djibouti but expressing his willingness to mediate for better cooperation.

Afwerki was particularly interested in developments in the Awdal region, where Djibouti is supporting local uprisings against Somaliland's Muse Bihi.

President Mohamud briefed Afwerki on the situation in Awdal and informed him that local clans, Issa and Gadabursi, were building their own military forces to reclaim control of their land and prevent Ethiopian encroachment into Seylac and Lughaya.