Somalia’s president signed a bill on Saturday voiding a preliminary agreement for Somaliland to provide landlocked Ethiopia with port access to Somaliland’s coast, in a largely symbolic move intended to rebuke both parties over a deal that has inflamed tensions across the Horn of Africa.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said the bill was an “illustration of our commitment to safeguard our unity, sovereignty & territorial integrity as per international law”.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 amid a civil war in the country’s south and has operated autonomously since. Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital, claims the borders of the former British protectorate of Somaliland in northern Somalia.
The memorandum of understanding, signed between Somaliland’s president, Muse Bihi, and Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, last Monday, outlined the broad sketches of a possible future pact between Addis Ababa and Hargeisa.
Though the details of the memorandum remain contested and have not been made public, officials have said Somaliland would grant Ethiopia access to the Gulf of Aden with a naval base, in exchange for shares in Ethiopian Airlines and Ethiopian recognition of Somaliland’s independence from Somalia.
In an interview with Ethiopia’s state broadcaster, EBC, Redwan Hussein, security adviser to prime minister Abiy Ahmed, said his country would be granted 20km of land across Somaliland’s Gulf of Aden coast for a period of at least 50 years, with Ethiopia granting Somaliland an equivalent value of shares in Ethiopian Airlines to the land acquired.
Senior Somaliland officials have said the memorandum, which at this point isn’t legally binding, would also involve diplomatic recognition for Hargeisa, a long-sought goal for the self-declared republic.
Ethiopian officials have given mixed messages on this aspect of the deal, with several making arguments for Somaliland’s recognition, but none committing Ethiopia at this stage. A communique released by Addis Ababa said it would only make an “in-depth assessment” on taking a position on the issue.
The deal has faced significant international condemnation and has infuriated Somalia, which has described the move as an act of “aggression”.
Urging Ethiopia and Somaliland to reverse course, Somalia’s president said a “Somali territory cannot be exchanged for a [share] in a company like Ethiopian Airlines, Ethiopian Telecom, GERD … even if you combine them we cannot swap for a territory”.
Somalia also recalled its ambassador from Ethiopia and has appealed to the international community for support.
The US state department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday that the US, a significant aid and security partner of Somaliland and Somalia, recognises Somalia within its 1960 borders, which include Somaliland, and called on all parties to resolve their issues through dialogue.
On Thursday, the UK released a statement calling for “full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity”, urging “restraint and dialogue” to resolve issues. The spokesperson for Turkey’s foreign ministry also expressed its support for the “unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Somalia.
The EU, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Arab League have also made appeals to Ethiopia not to proceed with the deal, which has further increased tensions in an already volatile region.
I had a phone conversation with President @HassanSMohamud
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) January 4, 2024
I reaffirmed the full support of the EU to the unity, the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of #Somalia.
The Horn of Africa doesn’t need more tensions. @TheVillaSomalia
Somaliland appears undeterred by the pushback from Mogadishu, saying it would go ahead with a preliminary pact it agreed with Ethiopia.
The deal has divided public opinion across Somalia and Somaliland, sparking several demonstrations and counter-demonstrations against the handover of territory to Ethiopia, with which Somalia has a history of conflict.
