African rivals end talks as port dispute drags on
Ethiopia and Somalia have decided to hold another round of talks on a disputed port deal, after negotiations in Türkiye on Tuesday concluded without an agreement.
Ankara initiated the negotiations in early July, following a feud between the two East African nations that erupted in January, when the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland agreed to lease 20 km (12 miles) of coastline to landlocked Ethiopia.
The 50-year agreement would allow Addis Ababa to access the Red Sea for commercial purposes, and to build a marine force base. Somaliland’s president, Muse Bihi Abdi, has said Ethiopia would formally recognize Somaliland as a country, in exchange for its coastline.
Somalia, which views Somaliland as its own territory – despite the province declaring independence in 1991 – has denounced the pact as a land grab. In June, Mogadishu threatened to expel thousands of Ethiopian soldiers deployed in Somalia to fight the terrorist group al-Shabaab if Addis Ababa failed to annul the “illegal” deal with breakaway Somaliland.
Earlier in April, the Somali government expelled Ethiopian Ambassador Muktar Mohamed Ware from Mogadishu and ordered the closure of Addis Ababa’s consulates in Somaliland and the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.
Last month, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that it had mediated a meeting between Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi and his Ethiopian counterpart, Taye Atske Selassie. During the initial talks, the officials agreed to continue dialogue in order to resolve the conflict and ensure regional stability, the ministry said in a statement.
Somali authorities had previously rejected regional mediation proposals in the dispute, insisting that a resolution was possible only if its neighbor canceled the maritime treaty.
In separate statements on Tuesday, the foreign ministries of the two Horn of Africa states hailed progress made during the second round of talks, and thanked the Turkish government for acting as a mediator.
“Ethiopia is confident that Türkiye now appreciates the importance Ethiopia attaches to this facilitation and Ethiopia’s legitimate interest and the peaceful manner in which it seeks to secure dependable access to and from the sea,” Addis Ababa’s ministry stated.
According to the statement, Ethiopia has “endeavored to deescalate tensions” and looks forward to “continued engagement that will ultimately help... restore normal relations in the region.”
“Somalia is committed to participating in the upcoming third round of talks, with the expectation that it will result in a definitive resolution that reinforces Somalia’s unity and sovereignty, in strict adherence to international law,” Mogadishu also stated.
