Ship carrying Egyptian arms to Somalia sailed under cloak of secrecy and tight security..

With a cargo of heavy weaponry and ammunition destined for Somalia in the increasingly restive Horn of Africa region, the Al Hurreya 2 faced several potential dangers in the Red Sea’s treacherous southern reaches. The stakes were considerably high, If the mission was aborted or disrupted, the embarrassment would be significant for a country that had the region’s largest army and had purchased billions of dollars’ worth of modern weapons in the last decade alone…

Two days after the Egyptian-flagged vessel unloaded its cargo in Mogadishu, Somalia on Monday, sources recounted to The National some of the precautionary measures put in place to ensure the cargo vessel reached its destination safely, Yemen’s Houthis had to be briefed in advance to prevent the Al Hurreya 2 from meeting the fate of the scores of vessels the Iranian-backed rebels have attacked in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. There was also the danger posed by Somali pirates in the southern part of the Red and Arabia seas.

Warships, including the locally made Gowind-class frigate in service since 2021, escorted the Al Hurreya 2 during its nearly 24-hour journey, which began in southern Egypt, the sources said. Helicopter gunships off one of the two French-made Mistral troop carriers Egypt has in its fleet took turns patrolling the skies above, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, The Al Hurreya 2 offloaded its cargo in Somalia’s capital which, according to the sources and media reports, included mortars, anti-aircraft guns, armoured personnel carriers, rocket launchers, ammunition and fuel.

The sources said this week’s military shipment to Somalia had long been in the planning, with Egypt discreetly and closely co-ordinating with authorities in Sudan, Eritrea and Djibouti, three countries on the Red Sea which have good relations with Egypt, “Zero hour was a closely guarded secret,” said one of the sources. “The nature of the cargo was also a secret except to those who absolutely needed to know and could be fully trusted,” they added, citing prevailing tension in the Red Sea following the deployment of various warships to deal with Houthi attacks on shipping.