By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The prolonged dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia over the former’s plan to construct a port in the breakaway Somaliland will soon be a thing of the past, as Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan mediates between both African leaders.
After talks on Wednesday, at the instance of the Turkish President, the leaders of the African nations said they had agreed to find commercial arrangements to allow landlocked Ethiopia “reliable, secure, and sustainable access to and from the sea”.
The meeting was their first since January, when Ethiopia said it would lease a port in Somaliland, a breakaway region considered a territory of Somalia.
The deal allowing Ethiopia to construct the port was in exchange for recognition of Somaliland as an independent nation by the landlocked Ethiopia.
Somalia frowned upon the deal, calling it a violation of its territory and threatening to expel Ethiopian troops stationed in Somalia to fight Islamist insurgents.
Mogadishu has repeatedly warned against international recognition of Somaliland, which has governed itself since 1991 after declaring its independence. It has barely been recognised internationally.
In a joint statement released late on Wednesday, Somalia and Ethiopia said they had agreed to start technical negotiations by the end of February next year and to conclude them within four months but did not provide details.
“This joint declaration focuses on the future, not the past,” Erdoğan said at a press conference in Ankara afterwards.
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said he was ready to work with Ethiopia, while Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed Turkish efforts to resolve the dispute.
Last month, Kenya and Uganda agreed to mediate in the spat between both countries.
“Because the security of Somalia … contributes significantly to the stability of our region, and the environment for investors, business people, and entrepreneurs to thrive,” the President of Kenya, William Ruto, told a press conference at the ongoing East African Community (EAC) summit in Arusha, Tanzania.
The disagreement has drawn Somalia closer to Egypt, which has also had strained relations with Ethiopia for years over Addis Ababa’s decision to construct a vast hydro dam on the Nile River.
Egypt has also pledged support to Somalia, making real its promise with the shipment of weapons to Mogadishu.
Despite not gaining international recognition, Somaliland has a functioning government and institutions, a political system that has allowed democratic transfers of power between rival parties, its own currency, passport, and armed forces.
