Somalia accused Ethiopia of smuggling weapons on Tuesday amid fears that arms going into the conflict-riven Horn of Africa nation could end up in the hands of Islamist militants. The neighbours traded barbs a day after an Egyptian warship unloaded heavy weaponry in Somalia's capital Mogadishu,

Ethiopia currently has 3,000 troops in Somalia as part of an African Union force supporting the government. There is now a plan for up to 5,000 Egyptian soldiers to join a new-look AU force at the end of the year, with another 5,000 reportedly to be deployed separately.

Hargeisa said Egypt’s decision to send Somalia a second cache of weaponry will jeopardise the security of a region already facing complex security challenges, calling for an Immediate action to avert a broader conflict and maintain the region’s fragile stability.

Ethiopia's foreign minister has warned that ammunition supplied to Somalia could exacerbate conflict and be diverted to terrorists, Ethiopia's state news agency reported on Tuesday. His statement came a day after an Egyptian warship unloaded heavy weaponry in the capital Mogadishu,

Egypt said it sent military aid to Somalia, the latest show of support for the Horn of Africa nation that’s embroiled in a feud with neighboring Ethiopia over a breakaway territory.

The Egyptian warship began unloading the weapons on Sunday, one diplomat said. Security forces blocked off the quayside and surrounding roads on Sunday and Monday as convoys carri