Former Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has criticised President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s handling of Somalia’s regional diplomacy, questioning the wisdom of Mogadishu deepening engagement with Ethiopia and Egypt at a time when the two countries remain divided over several strategic interests.

Sheikh Sharif argued that Somalia risks compromising its own interests if it becomes drawn into disputes involving larger regional powers, calling for a foreign policy centred on Somalia’s national priorities rather than the competing agendas of other governments.

The former president made the remarks in Mogadishu as attention remained focused on President Hassan Sheikh’s recent diplomatic engagements in the Horn of Africa and Egypt, including meetings with leaders from countries whose interests do not always align.

“It is a disgrace for Somali diplomacy that President Hassan Sheikh lands in Addis Ababa and travels to Cairo the following day,” Sheikh Sharif said.

His criticism comes after Hassan Sheikh held talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa before travelling to Egypt, where he participated in a series of high-level meetings centred on regional security, economic cooperation and the Horn of Africa.

The Somali president later joined Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Sudanese leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan at a quadrilateral summit in New Alamein on October 4.

The meeting produced a joint declaration covering some of the most sensitive issues in the region, including Somalia’s sovereignty, the war in Sudan, the Red Sea and Nile water politics.

Sheikh Sharif questions Somalia’s balancing act

For Sheikh Sharif, the concern is not simply that Hassan Sheikh has met leaders in Ethiopia and Egypt, but that Mogadishu could find itself caught between countries pursuing competing strategic interests.

He said Somalia should be cautious about becoming part of disagreements between governments or political groups whose interests may diverge from those of the Somali state.

The former president argued that Somalia’s foreign relations should instead be guided by practical considerations, including common interests, mutual benefit, good-neighbourly relations and mutual respect.

“We do not want to get involved in, or become entangled in, the problems between governments and groups,” he said.