The UN Security Council has urged Ethiopia and Somalia to resolve their differences within IGAD and the AU, as confirmed by Ambassador Meles Alem, the spokesperson for the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador Meles Alem informed the media that Ethiopia has requested IGAD to convene another high-level meeting to discuss the MoU dispute, which angered Mogadishu.
IGAD has not yet provided an official response to Ethiopia’s request.
On January 29, the Security Council held a meeting entitled ‘Peace and Security in Africa’, with Somalia requesting the meeting. However, the Council did not give any details about that meeting.
The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Meles, told the UN Security Council that the agreement they signed with the self-declared republic of Somaliland is based on economic and social integration.
On the other hand, President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, stated that Ethiopia’s aspiration regarding Somalia’s waters is an unacceptable encroachment that cannot be tolerated, but he emphasized a willingness to engage in dialogue if the Addis Ababa government withdraws from the agreement it made with Muse Bihi.
“If Ethiopia reverses its mistake today, we can talk tomorrow, we cannot talk otherwise, if it does not reverse its mistake, there will be no dialogue,” said the president.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud expressed concern about Ethiopia’s encroachment, stating that both countries share common interests but do not agree on everything.
He noted Somalia’s history of facing many challenges, including losing land and people, and expressed unwillingness to accept further divisions.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also noted that the Ethiopian people are not enemies, but their government’s aggressive stance deviates from the principles of cooperation and peaceful coexistence.
