This week on The Horn, Alan talks with Omar Mahmood, Crisis Group's senior analyst for Eastern Africa, about the rising tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia, the new Egypt-Somalia defence pact, and the future of peace operations in Somalia.

In the first episode of The Horn's new season, Alan is joined by Crisis Group's senior Eastern Africa analyst Omar Mahmood to discuss the escalating regional tensions involving Somalia, Egypt and Ethiopia, the uncertain future of the stabilisation mission ATMIS, which supports Mogadishu in its fight against Al-Shabaab and the presence of the Islamic State in Somalia. They unpack the worsening relations between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa over Ethiopia's bid for sea access through Somaliland and the diplomatic efforts under way to defuse the tensions. They discuss Somalia's new defence pact with Egypt and its regional implications. They talk about a possible follow-on mission to ATMIS, which is set to end by December this year, Ethiopia's military presence in Somalia and Egypt's increasing security assistance to the country amid regional rivalries. They also discuss the growing significance of the Somali branch of the Islamic State for the group's global operations, recent developments in Mogadishu's fight against Al-Shabaab and whether more diplomacy could help to improve relations between Somalia and its neighbours.

Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

For more on the topics discussed in this episode check out our recent briefing, The Islamic State in Somalia: Responding to an Evolving Threat and our Somalia country page.

Alan Boswell, Project Director, Horn of Africa

Omar Mahmood, Senior Analyst, Eastern Africa