Somalia said on Thursday there was no room for mediation in the dispute with Ethiopia unless Addis Ababa cancelled a deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland. Ethiopia reached a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland on January 1 that gives it access to the sea, escalating tensions in the Horn of Africa.
The comment regarding Ethiopia retracting it’s MOU came after the African Union’s conflict resolution body discussed the tensions in the region. The two countries were called on to exercise restraint, de-escalate and engage in peaceful dialogue to resolve the feud. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development is holding an extraordinary summit in Uganda on Thursday on the Ethiopia-Somalia feud and the conflict in Sudan.
Somalia claims its sovereignty and territorial integrity have been violated by Ethiopia’s MOU and has appealed for international support. In the deal, Somaliland agreed to lease 12 miles of coastline to Ethiopia for 50 years. Ethiopia wants to set up a naval base and a commercial port on the coast.
Read More: Somalia rejects mediation with Ethiopia gov’t over Somaliland port deal
