Ethiopia responds to sea access deal with Somaliland

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - The Ethiopian government responded Wednesday to Somalia in its sea access deal with Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland, which experts warned could lead to a regional crisis.

Ethiopia said the deal will not have any effect on any country.

“There is no broken trust nor is there any laws that have been transgressed,” according to a statement by the government’s Communication Service.

It said the deal gives Ethiopia the opportunity to obtain a permanent and reliable naval base and commercial maritime service in the Gulf of Aden through a lease arrangement.

It also allows Somaliland to derive an equivalent share of the lease from Ethiopian Airlines.

Addis Ababa is said to have made an in-depth assessment toward taking a position regarding the efforts of Somaliland to gain recognition.

It said it is “strongly rooted in a desire to not engage in war with any one.”

Experts warned that the deal could have serious implications for the entire Horn of Africa region that has been marred by wars in recent years.

Abdirahman Mohamud Ismail, a political analyst based in Mogadishu, said Somalia should galvanize its citizens and traditional allies to isolate Ethiopia diplomatically to stop it from implementing the deal.

He said the government should expel the Ethiopian ambassador to show the seriousness of the situation.

Abdirisak Aden, executive director Farsight Africa Research and Policy Studies, a think tank based in the Somali national capital of Mogadishu, told Anadolu the deal violates international law and undermines the African Union’s peacekeeping efforts in Somalia that began in 2007.

He said it would jeopardize peace and stability in the region and could affect the international community’s efforts to defeat the al-Shabaab terror group and divert the government and Somalis toward Ethiopia’s “proactive action” against Somalia.

“If Addis Ababa recognized Somaliland as a sovereign state it means a huge security and political blunder, this might lead to more conflict in the Horn of Africa,” said Aden.

He urged the Somali government to avoid previous historical mistakes and build “a crucial ally with Türkiye by signing a long-term marine and defense agreement to build the capability of Somali to protect the sea and ocean of Somalia.”

The Ethiopian government’s remarks come one day after Somalia rejected Ethiopia’s Red Sea port deal with Somaliland, calling the deal a threat to good neighborliness and a violation of its sovereignty.

Somalia recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia after the Somali Cabinet held an emergency meeting in Mogadishu.

Somalia also started to reach out to transitional allies.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called his Egyptian counterpart late Tuesday in the wake of tensions concerning the deal.

The Egyptian president affirmed to his Somali counterpart that Egypt will stand by Somalia and provide support for its security and stability.