Mogadishu(Mogadishu24)-The Federal Government of Somalia recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia on Tuesday following tensions that arose from an agreement reached between Ethiopia and Somaliland on Monday.
“In response to this issue, the Federal Government of Somalia recalls its ambassador to Ethiopia for consultation, given the complexity of the matter,” said a statement from Office of the Prime Minister.
The agreement, signed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somaliland President Musa Bihi Abdi, included the leasing of a 20-kilometer sea access to Ethiopia.
Bihi stated that, in return, Ethiopia would officially recognize Somaliland as a sovereign republic during a press conference with Abiy in Addis Ababa.
“In exchange for a 20KM sea access for the Ethiopian Naval Forces, leased for a period of 50 years, Ethiopia will formally recognize the Republic of Somaliland, setting a precedent as the first nation to extend international recognition to our country,” President Bihi said.
Following this agreement, Somali ministers convened to strongly reject it and accused Ethiopia of violating Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“The federal republic of Somalia strongly rejects the illegitimate agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland, which is a violation of its sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity,” the federal government’s spokesperson said reading the statement.
“Somaliland (northern Somalia region) is part of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and Ethiopia can’t sign an MOU for the lease any land or sea with it.”
Somalia warned the Ethiopian government against actions that may affect regional peace and stability and affirmed that it would take every lawful action to protect its territory.
The Federal Government further urged the African Union and the United Nations Security Council to call for an immediate meeting to address this issue before tensions between the two countries escalate.
The Ethiopian government did not officially confirm whether it would recognize Somalia and has not issued any response to the Somali government.
The agreement came after several attempts by the Ethiopian government to access the Red Sea proved futile.
In November 2022, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated that Ethiopia would seek access to seawater by any means.
The statement by the Prime Minister caused a heated debate, prompting the Eritrean government to suspend maritime bilateral talks with Ethiopia.
Two weeks ago, the fourth round of trilateral negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan has not yielded fruits after the parties failed to reach a solution on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
