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Somali President to ‘Asharq Al-Awsat’ : No Talks with Sisi on War Declaration against Ethiopia

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud during his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat in Cairo (Photo: Abdel Fattah Farag)
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud during his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat in Cairo (Photo: Abdel Fattah Farag)
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Somali President to ‘Asharq Al-Awsat’ : No Talks with Sisi on War Declaration against Ethiopia

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud during his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat in Cairo (Photo: Abdel Fattah Farag)
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud during his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat in Cairo (Photo: Abdel Fattah Farag)

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, played down the possibility of a war between Egypt and Somalia against Ethiopia.
This comes after a controversial deal between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland, giving it access to the Red Sea.
From his residence in Cairo, Mohamud discussed the situation in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea in light of the Gaza conflict, following talks with Sisi, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb.
He clarified that Somalia is not about to declare war on Ethiopia but urged Ethiopia to respect Somalia’s sovereignty.
Despite tensions in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa, Mohamud sees opportunities amid the crises.
He ruled out war with Ethiopia, stating that Somalia’s focus is on fighting terrorism, particularly the extremist “Al-Shabaab” movement.
Mohamud expressed willingness to negotiate with them if they abandon Al-Qaeda’s ideology and recognize the Somali state.
Emphasizing that his country hasn’t dismissed political solutions regarding the recent developments in Ethiopia, Mohamud clarified that there's “no official war declaration, neither from Egypt nor Somalia.”
He stated that talks with Sisi didn't involve planning a war against Ethiopia.
“We haven't discussed how to wage war. Our relationship with Egypt is long-standing and supportive over time,” affirmed the president.
“No new agreements or defense pacts are needed. Both Somalia and Egypt, as Arab League members, follow an Arab approach in defending themselves,” he highlighted.
“The framework is there. Our discussions focused on improving the normal relationship between two brotherly nations, enhancing economic ties, addressing geo-political and strategic issues, and, of course, security,” explained Mohamud.
He stressed that improving relations with Egypt doesn't mean targeting any other country.
“Our discussions were in the interest of both our nations and not a threat to another country,” reiterated Mohamud.
When asked about the possibility of a military alliance against Ethiopia, he said : “Our ties with Egypt are not meant to be against any country. We aim to support Somalia in self-defense, not to threaten anyone.”
“We don't consider war lightly, and Somalia doesn't want it. We are already dealing with a significant threat from terrorists like Al-Shabaab.”
“We are not planning for war unless it becomes necessary, and we hope it doesn't,” emphasized Mohamud.
Regarding talks with Al-Shabaab, the Somali President explained, “We won't consider war if Al-Shabaab acts rationally or has a national agenda. However, they are a global terrorist group following Al-Qaeda's agenda. If they abandon that ideology and recognize Somalia, we are willing to negotiate.”
He also denied having information about countries supporting Al-Shabaab, saying, “There might be sympathizers with Al-Qaeda in various parts of the world, but Al-Shabaab raises funds locally, and we are working to stop that.”
Discussing the current situation in the Horn of Africa, Mohamud acknowledged its complexity but highlighted potential opportunities.
He noted the world’s renewed focus on Africa due to various challenges in the region, such as Houthi activity, piracy, and Ethiopia’s considerations regarding Somalia.
Mohamud emphasized the importance of a Somali state, emphasizing that it can only be achieved by the Somali people.
He mentioned past attempts by the world to establish a state in Somalia without success.
However, he expressed optimism about the Somali people creating an effective state, with global support from the African Union and international partners.
He pointed out positive developments, including the lifting of a 31-year arms embargo and the cancellation of debts.
Mohamud stated that strong and responsible state institutions are developing in Somalia, instilling global confidence in government operations.
He sees this as a sign of Somalia's resurgence, expressing great optimism that the historical issues of state fragility are nearing an end.
Despite Somalia’s richness in resources and its vital global position, past challenges like state collapse, civil war, and fragility have led to poverty. The president affirmed his belief that Somalia is now moving past these challenges and entering a new phase.

 

 

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Goldrich to Asharq Al-Awsat: No US Withdrawal from Syria

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich during the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich during the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat
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Goldrich to Asharq Al-Awsat: No US Withdrawal from Syria

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich during the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich during the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich has told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US does not plan to withdraw its forces from Syria.

The US is committed to “the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with,” he said.

Here is the full text of the interview.

Question: Mr. Goldrich, thank you so much for taking the time to sit with us today. I know you are leaving your post soon. How do you assess the accomplishments and challenges remaining?

Answer: Thank you very much for the chance to talk with you today. I've been in this position for three years, and so at the end of three years, I can see that there's a lot that we accomplished and a lot that we have left to do. But at the beginning of a time I was here, we had just completed a review of our Syria policy, and we saw that we needed to focus on reducing suffering for the people in Syria. We needed to reduce violence. We needed to hold the regime accountable for things that are done and most importantly, from the US perspective, we needed to keep ISIS from reemerging as a threat to our country and to other countries. At the same time, we also realized that there wouldn't be a solution to the crisis until there was a political process under resolution 2254, so in each of these areas, we've seen both progress and challenges, but of course, on ISIS, we have prevented the reemergence of the threat from northeast Syria, and we've helped deal with people that needed to be repatriated out of the prisons, and we dealt with displaced people in al-Hol to reduce the numbers there. We helped provide for stabilization in those parts of Syria.

Question: I want to talk a little bit about the ISIS situation now that the US troops are still there, do you envision a timeline where they will be withdrawn? Because there were some reports in the press that there is a plan from the Biden administration to withdraw.

Answer: Yeah. So right now, our focus is on the mission that we have there to keep ISIS from reemerging. So I know there have been reports, but I want to make clear that we remain committed to the role that we play in that part of Syria, to the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with, and to the need to prevent that threat from reemerging.

Question: So you can assure people who are saying that you might withdraw, that you are remaining for the time being?

Answer: Yes, and that we remain committed to this mission which needs to continue to be pursued.

Question: You also mentioned the importance of humanitarian aid. The US has been leading on this. Are you satisfied with where you are today on the humanitarian front in Syria?

Answer: We remain committed to the role that we play to provide for humanitarian assistance in Syria. Of the money that was pledged in Brussels, we pledged $593 million just this past spring, and we overall, since the beginning of the conflict, have provided $18 billion both to help the Syrians who are inside of Syria and to help the refugees who are in surrounding countries. And so we remain committed to providing that assistance, and we remain keenly aware that 90% of Syrians are living in poverty right now, and that there's been suffering there. We're doing everything we can to reduce the suffering, but I think where we would really like to be is where there's a larger solution to the whole crisis, so Syrian people someday will be able to provide again for themselves and not need this assistance.

Question: And that's a perfect key to my next question. Solution in Syria. you are aware that the countries in the region are opening up to Assad again, and you also have the EU signaling overture to the Syrian regime and Assad. How do you deal with that?

Answer: For the United States, our policy continues to be that we will not normalize with the regime in Syria until there's been authentic and enduring progress on the goals of resolution 2254, until the human rights of the Syrian people are respected and until they have the civil and human rights that they deserve. We know other countries have engaged with the regime. When those engagements happen, we don't support them, but we remind the countries that are engaged that they should be using their engagements to push forward on the shared international goals under 2254, and that whatever it is that they're doing should be for the sake of improving the situation of the Syrian people.

Question: Let's say that all of the countries decided to talk to Assad, aren’t you worried that the US will be alienated in the process?

Answer: The US will remain true to our own principles and our own policies and our own laws, and the path for the regime in Syria to change its relationship with us is very clear, if they change the behaviors that led to the laws that we have and to the policies that we have, if those behaviors change and the circumstances inside of Syria change, then it's possible to have a different kind of relationship, but that's where it has to start.

Question: My last question to you before you leave, if you have to pick one thing that you need to do in Syria today, what is it that you would like to see happening today?

Answer: So there are a number of things, I think that will always be left and that there are things that we will try to do, to try to make them happen. We want to hold people accountable in Syria for things that have happened. So even today, we observed something called the International Day for victims of enforced disappearances, there are people that are missing, and we're trying to draw attention to the need to account for the missing people. So our step today was to sanction a number of officials who were responsible for enforced disappearances, but we also created something called the independent institution for missing persons, and that helps the families, in the non-political way, get information on what's happened. So I'd like to see some peace for the families of the missing people. I'd like to see the beginning of a political process, there hasn't been a meeting of the constitutional committee in two years, and I think that's because the regime has not been cooperating in political process steps. So we need to change that situation. And I would, of course, like it's important to see the continuation of the things that we were talking about, so keeping ISIS from reemerging and maintaining assistance as necessary in the humanitarian sphere. So all these things, some of them are ongoing, and some of them remain to be achieved. But the Syrian people deserve all aspects of our policy to be fulfilled and for them to be able to return to a normal life.