Somalia cancels Ethiopia-Somaliland port deal: summary
What we know
- Somalia has signed to nullify a Memorandum of Understanding signed by breakaway Somaliland granting landlocked Ethiopia access to the Red Sea
- In exchange, Somaliland will reportedly receive an unspecified share in Ethiopian Airlines and formal recognition as an independent state
- As per the memorandum of understanding (MoU), Ethiopia would obtain access to the Bab El-Mandeb Strait in the Gulf of Aden by leasing a corridor from Somaliland for 50 years
- Somalia has asserted that Somaliland is part of its territory and rejected the agreement reached on January 1, 2024
- Ethiopia’s desire to secure access to the Red Sea has heightened tensions with neighbouring countries and raised concerns about potential conflicts in the region
- The African Union and the United States of America have jointly urged for calm in the Horn of Africa amid rising tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia
What they said
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "This evening, I signed the law nullifying the illegal MoU between the governments of Ethiopia and Somaliland. This law is an illustration of our commitment to safeguarding our unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity as per international law." Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, in a statement, called for calm among the nations: “The Chairperson calls for calm and mutual respect to de-escalate the simmering tension between the governments of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Federal Republic of Somalia. In this regard, he urges the two countries to refrain from any action that, unintentionally, may lead to a deterioration of the good relations between the two neighbouring Eastern African countries.” The US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters, "The United States recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia within its 1960 borders. We join other partners in expressing our serious concern."
