Ethiopia on Friday announced that it will collaborate with a new African Union force againstย Islamist Al-Shabaab insurgentsย in Somalia, which is set to deploy later this month.
Mogadishu previously indicated that Ethiopian troops would not take part due toย strained relationsย between the two countries, after the government in Addis Ababa signed a maritime agreement with the breakaway region of Somaliland.
But after months of wrangling, the two countries last month agreed to end tensions in a compromise deal brokered by Turkey.
Ethiopian Defence Ministerย Aisha Mohammedย led a high-level visit to Somalia on Thursday, meeting Presidentย Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and delivered a message from Prime Ministerย Abiy Ahmed.
โThe discussions reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to work together toย ensure peace and stability in Somaliaย and the region,โ a statement from the Ethiopian foreign ministry read.
โThe two countries agreed to collaborate on the AUSSOM mission and strengthen bilateral ties,โ it added, referring to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia.
The United Nations Security Council gave its green light late last year to the creation of a new AU mission in Somalia.
Fourteen out of 15 council members adopted a resolution, with only the United States abstaining due to concerns about financing.
The peacekeeping force is intended to replace the UN-backedย African Union Transition Missionย in Somalia (ATMIS).
Until it was withdrawn on December 31, ATMIS could have up to 12,000 troops to counter theย continued significant threat from Al-Shabaab.
Somalia and Ethiopia had been invited to take part in the UNSC meeting, without voting.
Somaliaโs representative used the occasion to explain that bilateral agreements in November provided for the supply of some 11,000 troops to AUSSOM from partner countries.
The text adopted included the possibility of using a mechanism created by the UNSC the previous year for an AU force with UN backing and financed up to 75 percent by the world body.
Somaliaโs Foreign Ministerย Ali Mohamed Omarย travelled to Addis Ababa last week to meet his Ethiopian counterpartย Mesganu Arega, the day afterย deadly strikes in the border area of Doolow, to try to keep a fragile peace between the two countries.
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