By Mohamed Dhaysane
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) – Escalating a months-long dispute, Somali on Thursday said it was sending Ethiopia’s ambassador to the country back home for consultations and ordered the closure of two Ethiopian consulates in the Horn of Africa nation.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Mogadishu said that the government ordered the closure of the Ethiopian consulates in Garowe in the semiautonomous state of Puntland and Hargeisa in the breakaway region of Somaliland.
“Somalia stands firm on its sovereignty! In light of Ethiopian interference in our internal affairs, we've demanded Ethiopia's Ambassador Leave within 72 hours & are closing consulates in Hargeisa & Garowe. Our resolve in protecting our territory is steadfast,” said Ali Omar, the state minister for foreign affairs.
The statement said that the Ethiopian diplomats and workers at the consulates in Hargeisa and Garowe have been expelled from Somalia and were given one week to leave.
The announcement comes a day after Mesganu Arga, Ethiopia’s state minister of foreign affairs, warmly welcomed a senior ministerial delegation led by Mohammed Farah Mohammed, Puntland's finance minister, in Addis Ababa without coordinating with the central government of Somalia.
Relations between the two neighbors have been worsening since Ethiopia struck a deal with Somaliland on Jan. 1.
Somalia rejected Ethiopia's Red Sea port deal with Somaliland, calling it “illegitimate,” a threat to good neighborliness, and a violation of its sovereignty. It also recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia after the deal was announced.
The Ethiopian government has defended its decision to sign the deal without Mogadishu’s approval, and said the agreement with Somaliland “will affect no party or country.”
The deal allows Ethiopia to obtain a permanent and reliable naval base and commercial maritime service in the Gulf of Aden.
Ethiopia lost its Red Sea ports in the early 1990s after the Eritrean War of Independence, which lasted from 1961 to 1991.
In 1991, Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, leading to the establishment of two separate nations. The separation resulted in Ethiopia losing direct access to the Red Sea and key ports.