Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced plans to visit Ethiopia and Somalia early next year following his successful mediation of a peace agreement between the two neighboring Horn of Africa nations.
In a message shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Erdogan confirmed the visits, referencing the December 11 deal signed in Ankara by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The agreement, hailed as “historic” by Erdogan, ended nearly a year of heightened tensions between the two nations.
The dispute originated in January when Ethiopia struck a controversial deal with Somaliland, a self-declared independent region of Somalia. The agreement granted Ethiopia access to a stretch of Somaliland’s coastline for a port and military base. Somaliland, in turn, claimed Ethiopia had promised formal recognition of its independence, though Addis Ababa never confirmed this.
Somalia strongly opposed the arrangement, citing a violation of its sovereignty, sparking international concerns about potential conflict in the volatile Horn of Africa.
Turkey initiated mediation efforts in July, hosting three rounds of talks in Ankara and New York before achieving last week’s breakthrough. The peace agreement has been lauded by the African Union, the United States, and the European Union.
Buoyed by this diplomatic achievement, Erdogan has also offered to mediate the ongoing conflict in Sudan. He recently spoke with Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, proposing Turkey’s involvement in resolving disputes between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates. Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, with clashes between the army and the RSF (Rapid Support Forces) causing tens of thousands of deaths and displacing over 11 million people.
Erdogan’s proactive diplomacy signals Turkey’s expanding role in fostering peace and stability across the Horn of Africa and beyond.
