Cairo (Raxanreeb Online) – Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr Abdelatty, has outlined the reasons behind Egypt’s decision to contribute troops to the African Union mission AUSSOM in Somalia.

The minister stated that the Egyptian deployment follows official requests from both the Federal Government of Somalia and the African Union, aimed at supporting efforts to combat Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups operating in the country.

“We are there in response to a request from the Somali government and the African Union, and we were invited by the AU Peace and Security Council,” Abdelatty said. “We also received an official request from Somalia. Therefore, we are not imposing ourselves, nor are we forcing our presence.”

Abdelatty further stressed that Egypt has agreed to assist Somalia in preserving its unity and territorial integrity.

His remarks come in the same year that Egyptian forces joined the African Union mission AUSSOM, which supports the Somali government in strengthening security and stabilising the country.