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Sunday January 7, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) – The Ethiopian military’s recent Facebook
statement regarding Red Sea matters and the maritime agreement with the
self-declared Republic of Somaliland has sparked concerns in Somalia.
In the statement, Ethiopia reminisces about historical sea
access, and expressed worries about piracy and terrorism in the Somali Sea
affecting Ethiopian interests.
Somalia views Ethiopia’s focus on securing the sea with
suspicion, raising questions about its motives.
On October 13, Prime Minister Abiy highlighted Ethiopia’s
reliance on the Red Sea and the Nile.
“Ethiopia is an island surrounded by water but a country
that is thirsty,” he said. “The Red Sea and the Nile will determine Ethiopia.
They are interlinked with Ethiopia and will be the fundamentals that will
either bring in Ethiopia’s development or bring about its demise.”
The agreement, signed in Addis Ababa, grants Ethiopia a
50-year lease on a naval base with access to Somaliland’s Berbera port for
commercial marine operations. Mogadishu views the deal as an act of
“aggression” and any international recognition of Somaliland as an
attack on Somalia’s sovereignty.
The maritime deal also faces substantial international
condemnation.
On Saturday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signed a law
overturning the Ethiopia-Somaliland agreement, following approval by both
houses of Somalia’s Federal Parliament. The law’s enactment comes after both
legislative houses deemed the agreement invalid during an emergency
parliamentary session this week, citing violations of international norms and
undermining Somalia’s territorial integrity.
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