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Somalia and Ethiopia Agree to Resolve Disputes

In a significant diplomatic breakthrough, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signed the Ankara Declaration on December 11, 2024, during a trilateral meeting hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

Ethiopia and Somalia will work together to resolve a dispute over Ethiopia's plans to build a port in Somaliland, which had attracted regional powers and threatened further destabilization. The leaders of the two countries agreed to develop commercial arrangements that would allow landlocked Ethiopia to access the sea "reliable, secure and sustainable."

The meeting was their first since Ethiopia pledged to lease a port in Somaliland in exchange for recognizing the independence of the region. Somalia rejected the deal and threatened to expel Ethiopian troops stationed there to fight Islamist insurgents. The proposal by Ethiopia to recognize Somaliland's independence in exchange for strategic access to the Red Sea corridor increased the rift.

InFocus

The Reporter Ethiopia

Ethiopian Prime Minister Ahmed (L), Turkish President Erdogan (C) and Somali President Sheikh Mohamud (R).

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