IN a crucial statement issued on Tuesday, Somalia vehemently rejected the pact between the breakaway region of Somaliland and Ethiopia, asserting its lack of legal validity and potential jeopardy to regional stability.
The agreement, inked by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi on Monday, aims to facilitate Ethiopia’s utilisation of the Red Sea port of Berbera. Somalia, in response, took a firm stance by summoning its ambassador to Ethiopia for urgent consultations regarding the contentious port accord.
At the heart of the discord lies Ethiopia’s aspiration to establish commercial operations at the Berbera port, seeking an alternative to its reliance on Djibouti for maritime trade. Moreover, the agreement involves the prospect of officially recognising Somaliland as an independent nation in due course, exacerbating tensions in an already volatile region.
Abiy Ahmed’s expressed determination to secure Red Sea access has become a pivotal point of contention, fuelling strained relations between Ethiopia and its neighbours. His remarks in October, underscoring the significance of the Red Sea for Ethiopia’s existence and the imperative need for mutual resource-sharing among Horn of Africa nations, have intensified concerns about potential conflicts.
Somalia’s cabinet, convening in an emergency session, unequivocally condemned the deal, labelling it a severe breach of sovereignty and a threat to regional peace. The cabinet’s statement deemed the memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland null and void, citing its blatant infringement upon Somalia’s autonomy and unity.
‘It is a violation and an open interference with Somalia’s sovereignty, freedom and unity. … The so-called a memorandum of understanding and agreement of cooperation is null and void,’ the statement said.
Ethiopia, meanwhile, purportedly offered Somaliland a stake in the state-owned Ethiopian Airlines in exchange for access to the Red Sea, as disclosed by Abiy’s national security adviser on Monday. However, specific details regarding this proposed exchange remain undisclosed.
Requests for comments from key Ethiopian officials, including Billene Seyoum from Abiy’s office, Meles Alem from Ethiopia’s foreign affairs ministry, and Legesse Tulu, the government spokesperson, went unanswered as of now.
Notably, Somaliland’s bid for international recognition since declaring autonomy from Somalia in 1991 has been met with limited success, with Somalia continuing to assert its territorial claim over the region.
Recent reports from the Somali National News Agency indicated an effort to reinitiate talks between Somalia and Somaliland to resolve their longstanding disputes. This move follows mediation attempts led by Djibouti, signalling a potential diplomatic avenue amid escalating tensions in the region.
