The Impact of Ethiopia’s Port Agreement with Somaliland

January 2, 2024 2

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Ethiopia’s deal with Somaliland to enable it access the Red Sea port of Berbera has sparked a diplomatic row in the region.

Somalia‘s cabinet on Tuesday reacted to this development saying that the pact null and void and an act that endangers the region’s stability.

Somalia has also recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia for deliberations over the port agreement.

Somaliland seceded from Somalia over three decades ago, but is yet to be recognised by the African Union (AU) or the UN as an independent state.

It was only last week that Somalia and Somaliland agreed to restart talks to resolve their disputes, with Djibouti leading mediation efforts, the Somali National News Agency reported.

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Ethiopia’s quest to gain access to the sea trigger debates last year in the region about how it intends achieving that dream.

The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed had described the sea access as an existential issue for his country. It relies on neighbouring Djibouti for most of its maritime trade.

Ethiopia lost its access to the sea when Eritrea seceded in the early 1990s.

In 2018 Ethiopia and Somaliland did sign a deal to allow Addis Ababa to own a 19% stake of the port of Berbera but it collapsed in 2022.

The details of Monday’s agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland have not been made public but a statement from Mr Abiy’s office said it would “pave the way to realise the aspiration of Ethiopia to secure access to the sea”.

The agreement was signed in Addis Ababa by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi. The deal also recognises Somaliland as an independent nation in due course.