Somalia signs security deals amid fears of conflict in Horn of Africa

Somalia has signed security deals with the United States, Turkey and Uganda in recent weeks as multiplying tensions in the Horn of Africa raise fears of possible armed conflicts in the region.

An agreement signed with Washington commits the U.S. to building five military bases for the Somali army to bolster the counter’s military capacity amid ongoing threats from the extremist group al-Shabab, while a 10-year security deal with Turkey is aimed at strengthening Somalia’s naval force and to help patrol its 2000-mile country’s coastline. Somalia has also signed an agreement to deepen its military collaboration with Uganda.

The deals underscore Mogadishu’s ambitions to bolster its security, as it faces a persistent internal threat from al-Shabab, with peacekeeping forces from the African Union set to pull out in December. Meanwhile, Somalia’s vow to stop an Ethiopian deal to lease a port in the breakaway region of Somaliland has sparked concerns of a conflict with Ethiopia.

Cover photo: Reuters/Stringer