HARGEISA, Somaliland, Oct 4 — Somaliland has reaffirmed its support for Ethiopia securing access to the sea through negotiated arrangements, accusing Somalia of contradicting its own position after Mogadishu said it supports commercial maritime access for the landlocked country.
“The Government of the Republic of Somaliland has consistently supported negotiated arrangements enabling the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to secure access to the sea through mutually beneficial cooperation,” the ministry said in a statement.
The statement followed remarks by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in an interview with Al Jazeera in which he said Somalia did not object to Ethiopia gaining commercial access to the sea through an agreement involving ports.
Somaliland said those remarks contrasted with Somalia’s strong opposition to the memorandum of understanding signed between Somaliland and Ethiopia in January 2024.
“The Somalian Government’s campaign against the 2024 Ethiopia-Somaliland Memorandum of Understanding directly contradicts its professed support for such access,” the ministry said.
The January 2024 memorandum envisaged providing landlocked Ethiopia with access to Somaliland’s coastline. Somalia opposed the agreement, saying it violated its sovereignty.
The dispute sharply strained relations between Ethiopia and Somalia before the two governments later moved to ease tensions through Türkiye-mediated talks.
Somaliland also rejected Somalia’s interference in its agreements with foreign governments.
“The Government of the Republic of Somaliland rejects interference in its sovereign agreements and remains committed to arrangements that respect sovereignty and advance regional prosperity,” the ministry said.
Ethiopia has been landlocked since Eritrea gained independence in 1993 and relies heavily on neighbouring Djibouti for its maritime trade.
(Reporting by Mohamed Duale; HornDiplomat News Desk)
