Egypt's military in Somalia: the 2024 pact and AUSSOM

In short

Egypt became a military partner of the federal government in 2024, during Somalia's dispute with Ethiopia over Ethiopia's memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, and while Egypt had its own long dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. This page records what the sources report. It is part of Foreign forces in Somalia.

The August 2024 agreement and arms flights

Egypt and Somalia signed a military cooperation agreement on 14 August 2024. Two weeks later two Egyptian military transport aircraft landed at Mogadishu airport carrying arms, ammunition and about 300 commandos of an Egyptian special forces unit, and eight transport aircraft had landed by 29 August. Officials told The National that the number of Egyptian commandos had reached 1,000, that the troops would train and equip Somali army units and protect key government sites and officials, and that Egyptian armoured vehicles, rocket launchers, artillery, anti-tank missiles, radars and drones would follow, some overland from an Egyptian facility in Djibouti (The National, 29 August 2024). The Atlantic Council dated the first flights, of two C-130 aircraft, to 27 August (Atlantic Council). Egypt delivered anti-aircraft weapons twice in 2024 under the agreement (Wikipedia, Somali Air Force, citing Reuters, 23 September 2024).

Ethiopia's response. On 28 August 2024 Ethiopia's foreign ministry said the region was "moving into uncharted waters" and that Ethiopia could not "stand idle while other actors are taking measures to destabilise the region". It did not name Egypt (The National, 2024).

The strategic partnership, January 2025

In January 2025, with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi present in Cairo, the two countries agreed to put the 2024 military protocols into effect and raised relations to a strategic partnership. The protocols were described as strengthening Somalia's forces against al-Shabaab and the Islamic State faction. Before Cairo, Hassan Sheikh had met Ethiopia's prime minister in Addis Ababa, after the Turkish-brokered talks in Ankara (Garowe Online, 25 January 2025).

AUSSOM

Egypt was allotted about 1,091 troops in the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission, which began in January 2025, but delayed joining, citing funding. In August 2025 Somalia's defence ministry said training of the Egyptian units was complete, and in September 2025 a 16-member Egyptian team visited Mogadishu to look at sites. In October 2026 Egypt was reported to be preparing a brigade-sized battle group for Middle Shabelle under the bilateral agreement, with a headquarters planned at Ceelcade near Ciciley airfield, an area held by Burundian AU troops, before moving about 1,000 personnel into AUSSOM. Cairo had not given the full size (Addis Standard via AllAfrica, 27 October 2026, citing The East African).

Sources differ

• Date of the first flights. 27 August 2024 (Atlantic Council) or the following days (other reports).
• Size of the force. About 1,000 commandos by 29 August 2024 and a total in the "low thousands" (The National); about 1,091 in AUSSOM; the bilateral force's size undisclosed.
• Whether Egypt had deployed by 2026. Egypt Today reported in February 2026 that Egypt had deployed troops, helicopters and light aircraft (cited by Wikipedia; see AUSSOM); The East African reported in October 2026 that the AUSSOM contingent was still to move in (Addis Standard, 2026).
• Coordination. The AU had not said publicly how a bilateral Egyptian force would work with AUSSOM; Burundian troops in the area were reportedly not formally told (Addis Standard, 2026).

Read the primary sources yourself

• The National, "Ethiopia alarmed as Egypt sends special forces and arms to Somalia" (2024): article.
• Garowe Online, "Egypt, Somalia activate 2024 military pact" (2025): article.
• Addis Standard via AllAfrica, "Egypt to deploy troops in Somalia under bilateral deal ahead of AUSSOM integration" (2026): article.