Africa: AU Troops Handover Seven Military Bases to Somali Army

[ad_1] Mogadishu — ATMIS officially handed over 7 Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) to the Federal Government of Somalia at a ceremony in Mogadishu, marking the completion of Phase Two of the ATMIS Drawdown as per UNSC Resolution 2710. Two others were closed making it a total of 9 FOBs. Official documents were signed between #Somalia's National Security Adviser, Hussein Moalim, and SRCC & Head of ATMIS Souef Mohamed El-Amine and UNSOS OIC, Qurat-ul Ain Sadozai, at the ATMIS Mission HQs. […]

January 30, 2024

News

Ethiopia: Chartered ET Flight Denied Hargeisa Landing, CEO Says Commercial Flights ‘Unhindered’

[ad_1] A chartered Ethiopian Airlines flight destined for Hargeisa, seat of the Somaliland government, was forced to turn back without landing today as tensions between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa continue to mount. Commercial flights from Ethiopia to Somalia and Somaliland, however, are operating regularly, Mesfin Tassew, CEO of the Ethiopian Airlines Group, told The Reporter. "Chartered flights basically have to get approval every time [they fly]," Mesfin said. "They denied approval for an Ethiopian chartered flight today, but regular flights […]

January 19, 2024

Africa

Africa: The Naval Agreement With Somaliland Raises New Tensions in the Horn of Africa

[ad_1] Addis Ababa — Tensions are increasing in the Horn of Africa in connection with the agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia on access to the Red Sea (see Fides 3/1/2024) and the internal situation in Ethiopia. With the agreement signed on January 1st, Addis Ababa will receive the lease of about 20 km of the Somaliland coast for 50 years (with the establishment of a naval base) in return for Ethiopian recognition of this area, separated from the rest of […]

January 10, 2024

Africa

Africa: AU Appeals for Calm in Ethiopia-Somalia Row

[ad_1] The African Union on Thursday joined the United States in appealing for calm in the Horn of Africa after regional tensions soared following a contested deal between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland. Somalia has vowed to defend its territory after Monday's agreement, which it described as an "aggression" and a "blatant assault" on its sovereignty by neighbouring Ethiopia. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) gives landlocked Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous country, long-desired access to the Red Sea through […]

January 5, 2024

Africa

Africa: Horn of Africa – a Conflict Evolving Around Berbera Port

[ad_1] A new deal granting landlocked Ethiopia access to a seaport holds potential for a huge upheaval in the Horn of Africa. The breakaway region of Somaliland finds itself in a make-or-break situation. Under different circumstances, the kind of deal agreed between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland would have been fairly straightforward. One country grants its landlocked neighbor access to a seaport and by extension to international trade -- and in return is rewarded a political prize. But […]

January 5, 2024

Africa

Africa: AU Calls for Calm to De-Escalate Simmering Tension Between Ethiopia and Somalia

[ad_1] The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Amb. Moussa Faki Mahamat, has called for calm and mutual respect to de-escalate the simmering tension between the governments of Ethiopia and Somalia, following the signing of a port access deal between the former and Somaliland. Somaliland is an unrecognised state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as de jure part of Somalia. The Chairperson of the African Union Commission made the observation in a statement issued on January 3. The […]

January 5, 2024

Somalia