Mogadishu(Mogadishu24)-Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has confirmed that Ethiopian forces are controlling all airports in the Gedo region of Jubaland State, Southern Somalia.

In an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic Sunday, President Mohamud claimed that Ethiopia has violated international laws and treaties by occupying these airports under the pretext of countering potential Egyptian involvement in Somalia.

“Ethiopia occupied all airstrips, claiming it was to protect Somalia from Egypt, which is a violation of all laws and treaties,” said President Mohamud.

Contrary to these claims, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) recently announced that Ethiopian forces under ATMIS’s 46th Motorized Battalion are upgrading Bardhere Airport in the Gedo region.

This renovation project aims to extend the runway by 400 meters to improve safety and accommodate larger aircraft. But local residents in the Gedo region told Mogadishu 24 by phone that Ethiopian forces, together with Jubaland authorities, jointly control four airports .

The increased influence of Ethiopia in regions under Somalia’s Federal Member States has stirred controversy.

In August, residents in Hudur city, Bakool region, expressed support for the Ethiopian presence while opposing Egypt’s involvement in the upcoming African Union mission in Somalia.

The dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia escalated after the Ethiopia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the breakaway republic of Somaliland in January, leasing 20 kilometers of sea access to Ethiopia.

Efforts to ease tensions through Turkey-brokered talks in July and August failed, and a subsequent third round scheduled for September 17 was also delayed.

President Mohamud’s confirmation of Ethiopian control over airports in the Gedo region adds fuel to the rising regional tensions, intensifying the geopolitical rivalry between Egypt and Ethiopia, and threatening further instability in the Horn of Africa.