Ethiopia backs new peacekeeping force in Somalia

Turkish Minister Hakan Fidan (C), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi (R) and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Taye Atske Selassie Amde (L) hold a joint press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Turkiye on August 13, 2024. Arda Kucukkaya / Anadolu.[AFP,Standard]

Ethiopia on Friday announced that it will collaborate with a new African Union force against Islamist Al-Shabaab insurgents in Somalia, which is set to deploy later this month.

Mogadishu previously indicated that Ethiopian troops would not take part due to strained relations between the two countries, after the government in Addis Ababa signed a maritime agreement with the breakaway region of Somaliland.