Ethiopia

Somalia President signs law nullifying Ethiopia-Somaliland port deal

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signs the law nullifying the agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland on January 6, 2024. (Photo: Office of the President, Somalia)

By Dennis Tarus | Sunday, January 7, 2024

The President said the law is an illustration of their commitment to safeguard our unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity as per international law.

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has signed a law nullifying the agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland that has stoked tensions in the Horn of Africa region.

President Hassan Sheikh on Saturday said the law voided the illegal pact giving landlocked Ethiopia access to the Red Sea through Somaliland.

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"With the support of our lawmakers and our people, this law is an illustration of our commitment to safeguard our unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity as per international law," the President said.

This evening,I signed the law nullifying the illegal MoU between the Gov’t of Ethiopia & Somaliland. With the support of our lawmakers & our people, this law is an illustration of our commitment to safeguard our unity, sovereignty & territorial integrity as per international law. pic.twitter.com/UajOPm2qVB
— Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (@HassanSMohamud) January 6, 2024

The deal, signed in Addis Ababa by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Somaliland leader Muse Bihi Abdi, has been touted as a crucial step toward fulfilling Ethiopia's longstanding ambition to secure access to the sea and to have a seaport of its own in the Red Sea.

Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Somaliland leader Muse Bihi Abdi in Addis Ababa.

The Somali Government has since described the agreement as "null and void" and lacking legal basis, terming Ethiopia's actions as a "blatant aggression" that infringes upon Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The central government in Mogadishu has also vowed to oppose by any legal means the port agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland.

Somalia Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre asserted that Somalia would not cede even an inch of its territory, affirming the nation's unwavering determination to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.