Somalia announced on Thursday that there was “no room for mediation” in a dispute with Ethiopia, unless Addis Ababa withdraws from a controversial agreement with the breakaway region of Somaliland, which provides it with a maritime outlet.
The Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement published on its electronic accounts: “There is no room for mediation unless Ethiopia withdraws from the illegal memorandum of understanding and reaffirms Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Earlier this January, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signed a law canceling the agreement of the breakaway Somaliland region, which grants Ethiopia access to the Red Sea in exchange for recognition of the region as an independent state.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s declared ambition to secure access to the Red Sea is a source of tension between Ethiopia and its neighbors, and raises fears of a new conflict in the Horn of Africa.
Because of the “recognition” of a separatist region.. Will a war with regional repercussions occur between Somalia and Ethiopia?
The agreement that was recently signed between Ethiopia and the region of “Somaliland” (Somaliland) continues to raise a lot of controversy and tensions, especially with the announcement by a senior advisor to the Somali president that Mogadishu is ready to go to war to prevent Ethiopia from Addis Ababa from recognizing the separatist region.
On Wednesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in a statement that Ethiopia “has become a source of sowing chaos in its regional surroundings.”
During a ministerial meeting of the League of Arab States in Cairo, Shukri warned of the repercussions of Ethiopia’s “unilateral policies” and called for respect for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, after the Somaliland region agreed to grant Ethiopia the right to use a port overlooking the Red Sea, in exchange for recognizing the region as an independent state.
Somalia, which considers Somaliland part of its territory, rejected the agreement concluded at the beginning of the new year, which would allow landlocked Ethiopia to lease 20 kilometers around the port of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden, with access to the Red Sea for 50 years for maritime and commercial purposes.
In return, Ethiopia will become the first country to recognize Somaliland as an independent state.
In October, Abiy Ahmed said that Ethiopia’s presence is “linked to the Red Sea,” adding that “if we (the countries of the Horn of Africa) intend to live together in peace, we must find a way to mutually engage with each other in a balanced way.”
2024-01-18 09:30:51
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