Ethiopia has signed a historic port agreement, known as a memorandum of understanding, with Somaliland for sea access in exchange for diplomatic recognition for the breakaway republic's independence.
The Somali government has called for an emergency cabinet meeting in response to the MoU.
Ethiopia Signs Historic Port Agreement With Somaliland
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 01: Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, speaks during day one of the high-level segment of the UNFCCC COP28 Climate Conference at Expo City Dubai on December 1, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The COP28, which is running from November 30 through December 12, brings together stakeholders, including international heads of states and other leaders, scientists, environmentalists, indigenous peoples representatives, activists and others to discuss and agree on the implementation of global measures towards mitigating the effects of climate change.
Somaliland's president, Muse Bihi, released a statement on Monday's agreement at the press conference in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, after meeting with Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Bihi said, "We are pleased to announce, and want to express gratitude to the prime minister, and Ethiopia, according to our agreement written here, that we will give 20km of sea and they will recognise us."
The information minister for Somaliland, Ali Hassan Mohamed, called the agreement a "gamechanger" and reiterated the government's position that diplomatic recognition was exchanged for 20 km of sea access.
In October, Ahmed described sea access as an existential issue for his country following tensions across the Horn of Africa.
Ahmed's office published a statement on X, formerly Twitter, and welcomed the agreement. However, the office did not mention any recognition of Somaliland and only said they were committed to advancing mutual interests through reciprocity-based cooperation.
The office added that a new chapter of cooperation and regional integration in the Horn of Africa will be led by the MoU, which will open the door to realizing the goal of securing access to the sea and diversifying its access to sea ports.
According to Redwan Hussein, Ahmed's adviser, the agreement was a step ahead in the right direction for future generations. He also mentioned that a monthly follow-up meeting would formalize the memorandum's specifics.
Ethiopia and Somaliland committed to more discussions in their respective capitals days before the conference following the announcement of a breakthrough in negotiations in Djibouti.
Abdikarim Hussein Guled, Somalia's special envoy to Somaliland, said the agreement was a blatant disregard for international norms by Ethiopia, undermining progress made between Hargeisa and Mogadishu.
Somalia's former president, Mohamed Farmaajo, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the agreement signed by Ethiopia with Somaliland today was a serious concern for Somalia and the whole of Africa.
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Ethiopia's Restriction in Red Sea Ports
Early in the 1990s, when Eritrean militants in Ethiopia's north took control of the country's northern coastal region and then declared independence, Ethiopia lost access to its Red Sea ports.
According to France 2, over 95% of Ethiopia's international trade passes through the Addis-Djibouti corridor, making it highly dependent on Djibouti, a vulnerability it has sought to mitigate by diversifying its options.
Since October, Ethiopia has expressed interest in gaining access to ports on the coast of East Africa and has threatened to assert its rights, which has alarmed its neighbors.
In a televised speech, Ahmed stated that Ethiopia ought to have a role in how its coastal neighbors utilize the ports on the Red Sea, just as nations downstream on the Nile River are permitted to negotiate how to use the river on which Ethiopia has constructed a dam to produce electricity.
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