Somalia says it welcomes Egypt's offer to deploy peacekeepers there

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Somalia says it welcomes Egypt's offer to deploy peacekeepers there

2024-10-11 15:34 Last Updated At：15:40

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia says Egypt has offered to deploy peacekeeping troops to the Horn of Africa nation in a security partnership that is emerging as the mandate of a long-time group of African Union peacekeepers winds down.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Thursday attended a summit in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, where he and the leaders of Somalia and Eritrea pledged strong cooperation in regional security.

Somali authorities said in a statement at the end of the summit that they welcomed Egypt's offer to deploy troops in Somalia as part of a stabilization force when the present African Union force disbands in December.

The statement said the leaders welcomed the African Union Peace and Security Council’s decision to launch the African Union Mission to Support Stabilization in Somalia, or AUSSOM, under whose mandate the Egyptians or others would be deployed.

A separate statement following the summit signed by representatives of Somalia, Egypt and Eritrea asserted Somalia’s sovereign right to determine the composition, tasks and deployment timeline for the AUSSOM troops.

Somalia’s federal government has been supported by an African Union peacekeeping mission since 2007 in fighting the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, which has ties with al-Qaida and is responsible for deadly attacks in the country.

The summit in Asmara followed a period of tensions in the region stemming from disputes pitting Ethiopia against others.

The first dispute — between Ethiopia and Egypt — is over Ethiopia’s construction of a $4 billion dam on the Blue Nile, a key tributary of the Nile River. Egypt fears it will have a devastating effect on water and irrigation supplies downstream in Egypt unless Ethiopia takes its needs into account. Ethiopia plans to use the dam to generate badly needed electricity.

The second dispute — between Ethiopia and Somalia — is over Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland.

Somalia has sought to block landlocked Ethiopia’s ongoing efforts to gain access to the Red Sea via a contentious agreement with Somaliland to lease a stretch of land along its coastline, where Ethiopia would establish a marine force base. In return, Ethiopia would recognize Somaliland as an independent country, according to Somaliland authorities.

Somaliland seceded from Somalia more than 30 years ago but is not recognized by the African Union or the United Nations as an independent state. Somalia still considers Somaliland part of its territory.

Turkey’s Erdogan inaugurates a Turkish-funded mosque in Albania's capital

2024-10-11 15:15 Last Updated At：15:21

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Turkey’s president traveled Thursday to Albania’s capital to inaugurate a Turkish-funded mosque with 50-meter-high (160-foot-high) minarets as part of a trip to boost ties and discuss regional issues.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said that his country would give an unspecified number of drones to boost military capabilities in Albania, whose population is slightly more than 50% Muslim.

The new Namazgah mosque in Tirana is one of the largest in the Balkans.

Erdogan met with Albanian President Bajram Begaj and later with Prime Minister Edi Rama, with whom he has close ties. Following a meeting of top officials from both countries, the two sides signed agreements to boost cooperation in agriculture and education.

Turkey is a strategic partner of Albania and one of its largest investors, contributing to infrastructure and other sectors. Erdogan said the two countries should aim to double their annual trade to 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion).

At a briefing after the meetings, Rama said Turkey's gift of military drones sends a “very clear message” that “Albania cannot be attacked.”

In comments touching on regional issues, Erdogan denounced Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza as a “genocide” and a “threat to the global order.” He said Israel must pressured into an urgently needed ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian aid.

Rama also pushed for a ceasefire, but took a different tone on the Palestinian group, saying that “Hamas and any other source of terror have no place in a peaceful future of two sovereign states, Israel and Palestine.”

Construction of the new mosque was started in 2015 with some 30 million euros ($34 million) from the state-run Turkish Muslim organization Diyanet.

The construction already had been completed for more than a year, but the inauguration was delayed because of Erdogan’s concerns that a group that Turkey calls the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, or FETO, would have influence over the mosque.

Under agreements reached with the local Albanian Muslim community, Turkey's Diyanet organization will have representation on the mosque's governing board.

Turkey says that FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated a failed coup in Turkey on July 15, 2016, which left 251 people dead and nearly 2,200 wounded. Gulen has denied any involvement.

In addition to the four minarets, the Namazgah mosque has a central dome of 30 meters and the capacity to hold 8,000 people. It sits on a 10,000-square-meter parcel of land near Albania's parliament, and the first floor includes a cultural center.

The site is near landmark Catholic and Orthodox cathedrals.

Sunni Muslims make up nearly 46% of Albania's population, and Bektashi Muslims another 5%. Catholics are 8% and Orthodox Christians 7%, according to a 2023 census. The various religious groups live together peacefully without tensions.

Follow Llazar Semini at https://twitter.com/lsemini