Somalia has committed to protecting its land using “all lawful methods” and has called back its ambassador to Ethiopia following Addis Ababa’s agreement with the separatist area of Somaliland.
The city of Mogadishu denounced the unexpected agreement, which would grant Ethiopia, a landlocked country, access to the Gulf of Aden that they have long desired. They see it as a blatant infringement of their sovereignty and are asking for support from the global community.
The government has requested support from the UN, African Union, Arab League, and Intergovernmental Authority on Development, as well as other regional east African organizations, to uphold Somalia’s sovereignty and hold Ethiopia accountable to international laws.
The announcement of the deal occurred on Monday evening in Addis Ababa. This came shortly after the central government of Somalia decided to resume discussions with the northern separatist region, following a period of little progress.
Since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991, Somaliland has been striving for complete statehood. This move has been strongly contested by Mogadishu and has not been acknowledged on a global scale.
Reword: The agreement between the Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, and Somaliland leader, Muse Bihi Abdi, would grant Ethiopia usage of the port of Berbera and a military installation.
It is not clear what Somaliland would receive in exchange. Bihi had stated that the agreement included international recognition, but a statement released on the Ethiopian prime minister’s social media account did not mention recognition and only promised to work together for mutual benefit through reciprocal cooperation.
The complete terms of the agreement have not been officially confirmed by Ethiopian authorities.
The agreement was praised by Ali Hassan Mohamed, the information minister in Somaliland, as a significant change.
However, it caused outrage in Somalia and, in a unique show of solidarity among the country’s political leaders, received criticism from several former heads of state.
The Somali cabinet stated on Tuesday that Somaliland’s actions are a direct breach of Somalia’s sovereignty and unity, as it is considered a part of Somalia according to the Somali constitution.
The statement declared that the agreement was invalid and had no legal standing, and Somalia will not acknowledge it. The Somali government has recalled its ambassador in Ethiopia for consultation in response.
During a speech to the nation, Somalia’s prime minister Hamza Abdi Barre urged citizens to remain peaceful.
“I want to guarantee that our dedication to protecting the country remains steadfast. We will not tolerate any encroachment upon our land, sea, or airspace,” he stated. “We will utilize all lawful measures to safeguard our territory… It is crucial that we come together and set aside our disparities in order to guard our land, preserve our integrity, and maintain our sovereignty.”
Abdi Hashi, a seasoned member of parliament from Somaliland who holds a position in Somalia’s upper house, stated that the ocean of Somalia cannot be treated as a commodity.
Former prime minister Omar Sharmarke referred to the agreement as a provocation from Ethiopia, while former president Mohamed Farmaajo expressed serious concern for Somalia.
The agreement was made several months after Abiy announced that his nation, the second largest in Africa, would claim its entitlement to use the ocean, causing worry among neighboring countries.
In 1993, Eritrea declared independence after a thirty-year war, resulting in Ethiopia being disconnected from the coast.
Until the conflict between Addis Ababa and Eritrea in 1998-2000, there was a port accessible to the former. However, after the war, Ethiopia primarily directed its trade through Djibouti.
Ethiopia has faced limitations in its economy due to its limited access to the Red Sea, a small body of water located between Africa and the Arabian peninsula. However, the port of Berbera, situated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden, provides a valuable African hub for accessing the Red Sea and, ultimately, the Suez canal in the north.
Somaliland, a former British protectorate with 4.5 million people, prints its own currency, issues its own passports and elects its own government.
Despite its reputation as a stable country in the tumultuous Horn of Africa region, Somaliland’s efforts to gain recognition as an independent state have not been acknowledged by the international community. This has resulted in economic struggles and a sense of isolation.
The difficulties of the situation became clear last summer, when pro-unionist communities in the eastern autonomous region took control of a regional capital and formed a separate administration aligned with the federal government of Somalia.
Source: theguardian.com
