The Somali government on Thursday welcomed “the affirmation by the African Union Peace and Security Council of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of all African Union member states.”
“On the basis of adhering to this principle, Ethiopia violated Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity when it signed an illegal memorandum of understanding with the northern region (Somaliland administration) in Somalia,” the Somali Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to the Somali news agency Sonna, adding that “there is no room for mediation unless Ethiopia retracts the illegal memorandum of understanding.”
“The Government of the Republic of Somalia is ready to cooperate with all member states of the African Union, the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development,” the ministry said, stressing Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
This comes after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed an agreement with Somaliland leader Musa Bihi Abdi giving Ethiopia, the landlocked country, a 20-kilometer Red Sea outlet that includes the port of Berbera and a military base, for 50 years, in exchange for Addis Ababa officially recognizing Somaliland as an independent republic.
Earlier today, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry reiterated its rejection of the statement of the Ministerial Council of the Arab League. Foreign Ministry spokesman Meles Alam said at a press conference that “the Arab League’s statement is unacceptable and unworthy of member states.”
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Wednesday denounced the agreement signed between Ethiopia and the Somaliland region, describing it as a “flagrant coup” against Arab and African constants, stressing the rejection of “any agreements or memoranda of understanding that violate or violate the sovereignty of the Somali state.”
For his part, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that Ethiopia has become a source of turmoil in its regional surroundings, after signing an agreement on access to the Red Sea with the Somaliland region (Somaliland), calling on all Arab and international parties to respect Somalia’s sovereignty and unity.
