From Le Figaro with AFP
Published 3 hours ago, updated 38 minutes ago
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on January 2 in Mogadishu, Somalia. FEISAL OMAR / Portal
Through a “Memorandum of Understanding” signed on January 1, the autonomous region of Somaliland is granting Ethiopia access to 20 kilometers of its coastline for a period of 50 years.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamuda signed a law on Saturday, January 6, to “terminate” what he said was an “illegal” maritime deal between Ethiopia and the separatist region of Somaliland.
With this “Memorandum of Understanding” signed on January 1, the Somaliland region – a former British protectorate that declared its independence from Somalia in 1991 but is not recognized by the international community – intends to grant Ethiopia access to 20 kilometers of its coastlines for one Period of 50 years via a “leasing” contract.
“blatant violation of sovereignty”
The Somali president said the passage of this bill terminates this “illegal” pact that gives Ethiopia access to the Red Sea, which it gradually lost after Eritrea's independence in 1993. It “demonstrates our commitment to preserving our unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with international law,” the president wrote on X.
The Somali government had promised to vigorously oppose this agreement using all legal means. Mogadishu condemned an “aggression” and a “flagrant violation of its sovereignty” and vowed to fight this “illegal” text by “all legal means.”
Strong resistance to Somaliland's independence
The government firmly rejects calls for independence for Somaliland, a relatively stable region with 4.5 million inhabitants compared to Somalia. This self-proclaimed republic prints its own currency and issues its passports, but the lack of international recognition keeps it somewhat isolated. Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdis said Ethiopia would “officially recognize the Republic of Somaliland” in exchange for this maritime access.
However, the Addis Ababa government did not state that it intended to do so, but indicated that it would “conduct an in-depth assessment to comment on Somaliland's efforts for international recognition.” The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the African Union, the Arab League, Egypt and Turkey have also called for respect for Somalia's sovereignty.
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