Very tense, since the signing of an agreement in January between Addis Ababa and the separatist region of Somaliland regarding access to the sea, relations between Ethiopia and Somalia have deteriorated further, Saturday, February 17, on the sidelines of the African Union summit, which is taking place in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The Somali President, Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud, accused the local authorities of having wanted to prevent him from accessing the grounds of the institution.
“This morning,” he told the press, furiously, “the Ethiopian security forces blocked me at my hotel […] I waited a long time and ended up getting into the car of a other head of state […] Once we arrived in front of the AU building, the security forces again tried to prevent us from entering,” he said, calling on the continental organization to condemn Ethiopia’s “unacceptable behavior.” He left the Ethiopian capital immediately.
According to several sources, the Somali president had to be driven by his Djiboutian counterpart, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh. The cars of the two countries’ foreign ministers were stopped at the entrance to the AU building, forcing the two dignitaries to join on foot, in violation of diplomatic protocol. “The Somalis cannot let this go, it is a real offense,” laments an East African diplomat.
“Ethiopia wants to annex part of Somalia”
Ethiopian government spokesperson Billene Seyoum says the incident was due to “the Somali delegation’s refusal to subscribe to the security arrangements assigned by Ethiopia” and that members of the Somali delegation “attempted to to introduce weapons into the AU perimeter”.
The quarrel comes as Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud meet for the first time since the signing of an agreement between Ethiopia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland on January 1, supposed to allow Addis Ababa to obtain direct access to the Red Sea for fifty years – and a naval base – in exchange for the possible recognition of the Republic of Somaliland.
At the beginning of January, Mogadishu passed a law “annulling” this maritime agreement deemed “illegal” and said it was ready to defend the territorial integrity of Somalia by all means. Somaliland, a former British colony, unilaterally declared its independence in 1991. Since then, Mogadishu has no longer had control over this region while officially remaining sovereign over the territory.
In Addis Ababa, Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud attacked his counterpart, accused of “deceiving his people by ensuring that his country needs access to the sea”. “Ethiopia’s actions prove that it wants to annex part of Somalia,” he denounced, in undiplomatic language, rarely used in this type of international conferences.
The African Union involved
In October 2023, Abiy Ahmed outlined his country’s “natural right” to have access to the sea. “If this does not happen, it is a matter of time before we enter into conflict,” threatened – he. Countries in the Horn of Africa condemned the comments. The African Union had underlined “the imperative to respect the unity, territorial integrity and full sovereignty of all AU Member States”.
The pan-African organization has a peacekeeping mission (Atmis) in Somalia, which includes soldiers from five countries, including Ethiopia. Despite the crisis pitting it against its neighbor, Somalia has not requested the departure of Ethiopian troops. “We are maintaining diplomatic relations to avoid any escalation, our embassy is open and flights linking Addis Ababa to Mogadishu continue to operate,” assures the Somali president.
The mandate of Atmis must, however, end on December 31, 2024. Somalia, which is struggling to fight the Islamist Chabab, affiliated with Al Qaeda, wishes to extend the peacekeeping mission, under a new format. In view of relations with its Ethiopian neighbor, Mogadishu could demand the exclusion of soldiers from Addis Ababa.