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Egypt has vowed to protect the Nile waters following a conflict with Ethiopia over the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD), noting that it shall also defend Somalia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in the process.
Badr Abdelatty, the country’s foreign affairs minister, said Egypt’s desire to solve the Nile River dispute was based on benefiting all parties involved without harming downstream countries that use the Nile River for economic activities.
The joint operation between the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) and the Congolese army (FARDC) under Operation Shujaa, operating in eastern DR Congo, reported the killing of 27 Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels on Monday and the rescue of 40 civilians during firefighting with the rebel group.
According to Maj. Bilal Katamba, the spokesperson for the UPDF Mountain Division and Operation Shujaa, said the fight occurred in Biakato, Mambasa Territory, about 67 kilometers northwest of Beni in Ituri Province.
Somalia has accused Ethiopia of supplying weapons to its northeastern Puntland region amid growing tensions between the Horn of Africa neighbours.
There is a history of stormy relations between Ethiopia and Somalia. Tensions increased on January 1 when Addis Ababa signed a deal with another northern region of Somalia — the breakaway territory of Somaliland — which remains an unrecognized entity in the Horn of Africa.
Early Sunday morning, the militant group Al-Shabaab launched an assault on a military base in Jana Abdalle, a village approximately 60 kilometers north of Kismayo, the capital of Somalia’s Lower Juba region. The attack was met with fierce resistance from Jubaland regional forces, resulting in a significant engagement that saw casualties on both sides.
According to reports from the scene, the clash began when Al-Shabaab militants attempted to overrun the base, a strategic location that serves as a crucial link between several cities in the region. The Jubaland state security forces, however, were quick to respond, engaging the attackers in what local sources described as heavy fighting.
Members of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) have reportedly taken over airports in western parts of Somalia, a move that could trigger diplomatic fallout and possible war within the Horn of Africa region.
For eight months, Somalia and Ethiopia have been at loggerheads after the latter signed an agreement with Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, which gives it access to 20 kilometers of the Red Sea in exchange for recognition as a sovereign state.