In an unique interview, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says Somalia won’t yield to ‘pressure’ on the breakaway area.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has warned Ethiopia in opposition to taking steps to implement a controversial port deal it brokered with the breakaway area of Somaliland.
Beneath a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on January 1, Somaliland leased landlocked Ethiopia 20km (12 miles) of its coastland across the port of Berbera, on the Gulf of Aden, for 50 years for army and industrial functions.
In an unique interview with Al Jazeera on Tuesday, Mohamud mentioned Ethiopian belongings must cross into Somalia’s territory in an effort to attain the leased space and warned Addis Ababa in opposition to taking such a step.
“So far Ethiopians haven’t come into Somalia. If they will, then that will be a problem at a different level,” Mohamud mentioned.
Egypt, which is concerned in a separate dispute with Ethiopia over a significant dam on the Blue Nile, has vowed to face with Mogadishu within the Somaliland dispute. Mohamud mentioned he mentioned the current developments with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi however that the 2 sides didn’t talk about a joint army intervention.
“We haven’t discussed the Egyptian military coming to Somalia and we believe that the problem has not reached [that point] yet,” the Somali president mentioned. “And that’s why we’re warning [Ethiopia]: don’t do it, please.”
Ethiopia is aiming to determine a marine drive base within the land leased from Somaliland and procure a port for maritime exports within the Crimson Sea and the Suez Canal, which might enhance its entry to Europe. Presently, Addis Ababa depends primarily on the smaller Djibouti for its port operations for inbound and outbound commerce.
Somaliland, a area of Somalia that broke away in 1991 after a bloody battle, has welcomed the deal because it appears to be like for worldwide recognition and financial alternatives past Mogadishu.
Somalia has been angered by the deal that bypasses its federal authorities and says it threatens the integrity of its personal territory.
“This is a piece of land that belongs to Somalia and [we] will never yield to whatever pressure that comes on it,” Mohamud mentioned.
The Somali head of state accused Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of getting saved him “in the dark” concerning the take care of Somaliland once they met in Djibouti in late December for “very good” talks on the “unity” of Somalia, simply days earlier than the MOU was signed.
Requested whether or not he thought there may very well be a win-win answer to the disaster, which has stoked fears of a protracted diplomatic rift, he mentioned the ball was in Ethiopia’s court docket.
“The question is not will Ethiopia access the sea. We want Ethiopia to have access to the sea, there is no question about that,” Mohamud mentioned, including that the federal authorities was prepared to barter a take care of Addis Ababa. “But grabbing a piece of land, we are not ready for that.”
“They have to [initiate] a conducive environment to communicate, negotiate and to dialogue,” he added.
Mogadishu has claimed that the deal quantities to a landgrab, whereas Addis Ababa says the deal is of a industrial nature and is important to its financial wants.
On January 17, the Arab League mentioned it backed Somalia’s diplomatic efforts to deal with “this perilous situation”. Qatar, Turkey, the USA, the European Union and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation have additionally urged Ethiopia to respect Mogadishu’s sovereignty.