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Ethiopia, Somaliland 50-Year Maritime Deal Triggers New Dynamic in Horn of Africa

Jan 2 , 2024

The coming days are likely to witness diplomatic exchanges and animated responses in the Horn of Africa in the wake of a memorandum of understanding exchanged between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) and Somaliland's President Muse Bihi Abdi, signed yesterday.

This holds significant economic and strategic implications for both countries, signalling Ethiopia will become one of the first countries to officially recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state.

According to Bihi, Ethiopia "officially recognises" Somaliland, while the latter has agreed to grant naval and commercial sea access on lease to Ethiopia for 50 years.

Bloomberg reported that the agreement also entails a stake in Ethiopia's flagship carrier, Ethiopian Airlines.

"A step ahead in the right direction for this and generations to come," Redwan Hussein, national security advisor to Prime Minister Abiy, praised the agreement.

While this move is also celebrated by Somaliland as a step towards international recognition, it has triggered discontent in Mogadishu, which considers it as an integral part of its sovereign territory and has historically contested any attempts at sovereign recognition.

Former Somalia's President and once strong ally of Prime Minister Abiy in the region, Mohammed Abdulahi, took to X a few hours after the announcement, pronouncing his "concerns". He urged Mogadishu to respond promptly and "appropriately".

The deal has prompted the Cabinet of Ministers in Somalia to call for an emergency meeting today to decide on responses.

Editors' Note: This article was updated from its original form on the basis of correction that the signed agreement was a memorandum of understanding.

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