Somalia has firmly rejected a recently inked agreement between its breakaway region of Somaliland and Ethiopia, which would grant Ethiopia access to a crucial Red Sea port in exchange for recognising Somaliland’s sovereignty. The Somali government contends that the deal holds no legal weight, escalating diplomatic tensions in the region.
Somaliland, a self-declared independent entity that Somalia still considers as part of its territory, has signed a pact with Ethiopia, permitting Ethiopia to lease a 20-kilometer area surrounding the strategic port of Berbera for 50 years. Berbera, located on the Gulf of Aden with direct access to the Red Sea, offers landlocked Ethiopia a gateway for maritime trade, reducing its dependency on Djibouti.
In return for this access, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed pledged to officially recognise Somaliland as an independent nation, making Ethiopia the first country to do so.
Abiy’s aspiration to secure Red Sea access has generated tensions between Ethiopia and its neighbours, sparking concerns of potential conflict in the volatile Horn of Africa region. In October, Abiy emphasised the significance of the Red Sea to Ethiopia’s existence, calling for peaceful cooperation among Horn of Africa nations.
Somalia’s President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, strongly rebuked the pact during a parliamentary address, asserting that “no one has the power to give away a piece of Somalia.” An emergency cabinet meeting in Somalia declared the agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland as “an open interference with Somalia’s sovereignty, freedom, and unity,” deeming it “null and void.”
Mohamud further dismissed Ethiopia’s recognition of Somaliland, stating, “Somaliland, you are the northern regions of Somalia, and Ethiopia has no recognition for you. If Ethiopia claimed it gave you recognition, then it is not a recognition that exists.”
Ethiopia has also reportedly offered Somaliland a stake in the state-owned Ethiopian Airlines in exchange for Red Sea access. The size of this proposed stake remains 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 Ethiopian government spokesperson, have gone unanswered.
Despite its declaration of autonomy from Somalia in 1991, Somaliland has struggled to gain widespread international recognition. Just last week, the Somali National News Agency reported that Somalia and Somaliland had agreed to resume talks to resolve their disputes, following mediation led by Djibouti.
Somaliland’s Interior Minister, Mohamed Kahin, firmly rejected Somalia’s stance on the Ethiopia deal, insisting, “We ask Somalia to apologise for its claim that Somaliland is part of Somalia.”
