More rumours of war. Yet another conflict that would involve both nations and kingdoms simultaneously. This one around the horn of Africa.
And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…
Mark 13:7-8
Days ago, Ethiopia made a deal with Somaliland, offering formal recognition of Somaliland in exchange for a 50 year lease to access the port of Berbera and to have a military base there (ref. 1). The memorandum of understanding was signed by Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed Ali and Somaliland leader Muse Bihi Abdi. Somalia described the deal as a clear violation of its sovereignty, and vowed to defend its territorial claims, “every inch of Somalia” (ref. 1).
In 1991, Somaliland declared itself independent from Somalia. But except for Taiwan, no one recognises Somaliland as an independent state. Generally, Somaliland is regarded to be a de jure region of Somalia. Ethiopia setting up a military base in Somaliland is equivalent to America putting US marines on a base in Taiwan.
For this reason, a war involving Ethiopia, Somaliland and Somalia would be one of nations and kingdoms.
Ethiopia lost its navy and access to the sea in 1993 after Eritrea became an independent nation. Since then, Ethiopia has relied on Djibouti for commercial shipping.
Today, Ethiopia is eager to rebuild its navy, and I suppose it would rather have a military base some distance away from Djibouti, which already hosts the militaries of the USA, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, China and Saudi Arabia.
Now, the languages of Somali and Oromo are said to be Cushitic. Abiy Ahmed Ali himself is ethnically Oromo. So, a war between Somalia and Ethiopia would see Cush versus Cush.
To Bible prophecy watchers, Cush is significant because this people group is one of several that are to align with the Assyrian and come against Israel.
… and the Libyans and the Ethiopians [Cushim] shall be at his steps [the Assyrian’s].
Daniel 11:43
Ye Ethiopians [Cushim] also, ye shall be slain by my sword.
Zephaniah 2:12
I once thought that the Janjaweed of North Sudan, translated “devil’s on horseback”, would be Cush, but a few years ago, I switched to the Oromos of Ethiopia, because first the KJV literally reads “Ethiopians”, and second Abiy Ahmed Ali started a war against Tigray, the descendants of Sheba, and third Oromo is a Cushitic language.
Because Somali is also a Cushitic language, it might be that Somalia instead is Cush.
In Somalia, the radical Islamist group Al Shabaab, which is Al Qaeda’s official branch in East Africa, has been waging an insurgency against the government since 2009. It is interesting that Al Shabaab also rejects the deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland (ref. 2). In the past, Al Shabaab has even attacked Ethiopian soldiers that have come near them.
So, maybe, a Somalia vs Ethiopia war would see the likes of Al Shabaab, the real Cushim, move into Ethiopia, and then onwards towards Israel. This might be possible because Ethiopia has somewhat weakened itself militarily due to the federal government’s conflict against the province of Tigray, and its purge of Tigrayans from its officer ranks.
Then again, Abiy Ahmed Ali is also pro-Islamist when it suits him. During Ethiopia’s war with Tigray, the government of Abiy Ahmed Ali enlisted the support of Islamic Eritrea and the UAE. More recently, Abiy Ahmed Ali met with the leader of North Sudan’s RSF, formerly known as the Janjaweed, the same Islamic militia that is currently waging its own civil war in North Sudan against the military-led government that had agreed to a deal with Israel in 2021, the Abraham Accords. To add to that, Abiy Ahmed Ali is a Pentecostal, which is an American heresy. And what is more, he was a military intelligence type, therefore possibly connected to the CIA, not unlike Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, who was most certainly once an American agent assigned the task of taking Rwanda away from France.
All that to say, the situation is difficult to read.
Maybe this is about knocking down Abiy Ahmed Ali, which would allow Tigray to regain control of Ethiopia. As a rule, if the CIA is involved or was once involved, the opposite side is the good one, the side to root for. Also, prophetically, Tigray is to survive these last days and become properly Christian during the Millennial Reign (ref. Psalms 72:10).
Maybe, instead, this is about pulling Cush towards Israel, or else the exact opposite, preventing Cush for the time being from moving towards Israel. It all depends on who actually is Cush. The Somalis of Somalia? Or the Oromos of Ethiopia? Or even the RSF or Janjaweed of North Sudan?
Time will tell.
References:
1. Faisal Ali (2 Jan 2024), “Somalia vows to defend sovereignty after Ethiopia-Somaliland deal”, theguardian.com
2. Celeb Weiss (2 Jan 2024), “Shabaab says it rejects Red Sea access deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland”, fdd.org