A second round of Turkish-led indirect talks between Somalia and Ethiopia ended last Tuesday without an agreement.
Relations between the two countries broke down in January, when Addis Ababa announced a port deal with Somaliland—a breakaway region that claims independence from Somalia. Landlocked Ethiopia agreed to lease 20 km (12 miles) of coastline from Somaliland in exchange for recognition of the region’s independence. Mogadishu has said that the agreement infringed on Somalia’s territorial integrity.
Turkey, which has trade and defense ties with both nations and is vying for increased influence in the Horn of Africa, was reportedly asked to intervene by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. In a call with the Turkish president, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said his country was ready to “engage in economic and development cooperation with Ethiopia” but insisted that “such partnerships must always respect Somalia’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and adhere to international law and norms.”
Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan separately met his counterparts, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi from Somalia and Taye Atske Selassie from Ethiopia, on Aug. 13 in Turkey’s capital, Ankara. Fidan told a news conference that there was now “convergence on some major principles.”
The tensions have compounded security cooperation against terrorist group al-Shabab. According to local media reports, Somalia’s government has asked that Ethiopian troops in the country be replaced with Egyptian soldiers serving within an updated African Union peacekeeping mission. Cairo has a separate conflict with Ethiopia over a controversial mega dam and has offered Somalia troop support. Abiy’s bid for sea access has also unsettled neighboring Djibouti, which also offered to contribute troops to Somalia’s new peacekeeping force.
The mission in Somalia targeting al-Shabab is set to begin in 2025, and a list of nations contributing military personnel is slated for release next month.
Abukar Osman, Somalia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, accused Ethiopia last week of smuggling weapons into Somalia and said the arms proliferation has fueled clan conflicts and strengthened al-Shabab. “While we welcome input for the next security arrangements post-ATMIS [African Union Transition Mission in Somalia] from key partners, we also want to underscore that the formation of the next mission should be guided by needs and aspirations of the Somali people,” he said during a U.N. Security Council session on Thursday.
The prospect of Egyptian troops near its borders is something Ethiopia opposes, and there are fears that this dispute could escalate into a proxy conflict in the Horn of Africa involving various Gulf allies competing for Red Sea control.
Ethiopia borders Somalia, and its foreign ministry responded that the country has the right to defend itself. “There is no power that can stop Ethiopia from taking necessary action without asking permission from anyone,” said Nebiyu Tedla, a ministry spokesperson, during a press briefing on Thursday. “Ethiopia has been contributing troops to Somalia for over a decade. Ethiopia has security concerns arising from Al-Shabaab. Therefore, Ethiopia is following the issue closely,” Nebiyu added.
Fidan told reporters last week that he had proposed an arrangement that would ensure Ethiopia’s sea access via Somalia. In return, he said that Ethiopia would acknowledge Somalia’s territorial integrity and political sovereignty. A third round of talks will be held on Sept. 17.
Lagos-based Nosmot Gbadamosi reports from across Africa on what’s driving policy, economics, and culture in the world’s fastest-growing and youngest continent
