On Sunday, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged Addis Ababa and Mogadishu to engage in dialogue to resolve their dispute over Ethiopia’s maritime agreement with Somaliland.
Tensions in the Horn of Africa have heightened since Ethiopia, seeking sea access, reached a deal with Somaliland on January 1.
In exchange, Somaliland, which declared independence in 1991, expects formal recognition from Ethiopia, though Addis Ababa has not confirmed this.
Somalia rejected mediation with Ethiopia on Thursday unless the agreement is annulled, pledging to oppose it through “all legal means.”
“We are always guided by our principles and our principles are related to the unity, the sovereignty and territorial independence of countries, including Somalia,” Guterres told a press conference at the G77 plus China summit in the Ugandan capital.
“We hope that through dialogue it will be possible to overcome the current situation,” he said.
His remarks echoed the calls from the United States, China, the European Union, African Union, and Arab League, all urging respect for Somali sovereignty.
Mogadishu has labelled the maritime agreement as an “act of aggression” by Ethiopia, which, in response, asserts that no laws have been violated. The pact involves Somaliland leasing 20 kilometres (12 miles) of its coast to Ethiopia for 50 years, allowing the establishment of a naval base and commercial port.
Somalia strongly rejects the independence claim made by the former British protectorate, home to 4.5 million people and unrecognised by the international community.
Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa, lost coastal access after Eritrea seceded in 1993, following a three-decade war. Although Ethiopia previously had a port in Eritrea until their 1998-2000 war, it has relied on Djibouti for most sea trade since then.
While Somaliland remains relatively stable, Somalia has faced decades of civil war and a persistent Islamist insurgency.
