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Tuesday February 13, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) – The Minister of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation, Ahmed Macallin Fiqi, held a meeting with lawmakers, senators of the Federal Parliament, as well as politicians and leaders from the Awdal region at his office in Mogadishu on Monday.
During the meeting, discussions focused on the need for unity in rejecting Ethiopia’s aggressive ambitions to claim parts of Somali land and sea. The participants also emphasized the importance of strengthening the unity of the people of Awdal and approaching the defence of the country’s sovereignty and unity in a unified manner, without division.
Awdal representatives reiterated their rejection of Ethiopia’s memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, signed on January 1, which grants it access to the sea. They affirmed their commitment to defending the land, integral to the country’s unity.
Minister Fiqi expressed gratitude to the people of Awdal for their patriotism and love for the land, particularly their protests against Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. He emphasized the government’s efforts to resist Ethiopia’s domestic and diplomatic ambitions.
The Minister reiterated that there is no room for mediation in the dispute with Ethiopia unless Addis Ababa cancels the controversial deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland.
The Awdal region seeks to separate from the breakaway region of Somaliland and become a state under the federal government of Somalia. Additionally, the Awdal region is where Ethiopia reportedly wants to set up its military base in the coastal town of Lughaya.
However, Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently condemned the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Ethiopia and the Somaliland provincial administration on New Year’s Day. The ministry labelled the agreement as a “clear violation of Somalia’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.”
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