Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed efforts to restore stability in Somalia as well as counterterrorism cooperation in a phone call on Wednesday with Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, El-Sisi’s office said in a statement.
The Egyptian president reiterated Egypt’s “firm position” in supporting Somalia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and asserted his support for the country’s efforts to restore stability.
The terrorist group Al-Shabab have been stepping up attacks in the country as a 22,000-strong African Union peacekeeping force prepares to withdraw and hand over the country’s security responsibilities to the Somali military by the end of 2020.
In mid-October, over 350 people were killed in bombings in Mogadishu, the worst in the course of the country’s decades civil war.