Ethiopia signs agreement with Somaliland paving way to sea access
Ethiopia has initiated the initial legal procedures toward potential access to the sea, according to its government. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed with the self-declared republic of Somaliland to utilize one of its ports.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, emphasizing sea access as crucial for Ethiopia, previously stirred tensions in the Horn of Africa with this stance in October.
The recent agreement’s details have not been disclosed, but Abiy’s office stated that it would pave the way for Ethiopia to secure sea access. Talks leading up to the MoU focused on the port of Berbera in Somaliland.
Abiy’s national security adviser, Redwan Hussien, suggested that the arrangement could also facilitate Ethiopia’s access to a leased military base by the sea.
Although an MoU is not legally binding, it can lead to a treaty imposing obligations. Despite this, the development is hailed as a significant diplomatic achievement by Addis Ababa.
Prime Minister Abiy, who signed the MoU with Somaliland’s President Muse Bihi Abdi, expressed gratitude for the milestone. President Abdi mentioned that the agreement included a section stipulating Ethiopia’s future recognition of Somaliland as an independent country.
Somaliland seceded from Somalia more than 30 years ago but is not recognized by the African Union (AU) or the UN as an independent state.
There has been no response regarding the announcement from Somalia, which considers Somaliland as part of its territory. But national broadcaster SNTV reports that there will be an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss the issue.
Ethiopia lost its access to the sea when Eritrea seceded in the early 1990s. With more than 100 million people, it is the most populous landlocked country in the world.
Up to now, Ethiopia has been using the port in neighboring Djibouti for the vast majority of its imports and exports.
In 2018 Ethiopia and Somaliland signed a deal that should have led to Addis Ababa owning a 19% stake in the port of Berbera, with the Emirati logistics company DP World holding a 51% share.
But this fell through in 2022 as “Ethiopia failed to meet the conditions needed to acquire the stake before the deadline”, the authorities in Somaliland reportedly said at the time.
