Somalia’s foreign ministry has called on Ethiopia to retract its deal with Somaliland, in a statement published Wednesday.
The ministry said that there is ” no space for mediation unless Ethiopia retracts its illegal deal” with Somaliland and reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia.
A memorandum of understanding signed on Jan. 1 calls for recognition of Somaliland’s independence. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not won recognition from any country and the port lease deal, which would be a boon to landlocked Ethiopia, has enraged Somalia.
Under the deal, which still has to be finalized, Ethiopia would lease 20 km (12 miles) of coastland around the port of Berbera, on the Gulf of Aden, for 50 years for military and commercial purposes.
Ethiopia’s current main port for maritime exports is in the neighboring country of Djibouti. Heads of state from a regional group, the eight-member Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), met in Entebbe, Uganda on Thursday to find a peaceful solution.
The ministry’s comments come after the African Union’s Peace and Security Council on Wednesday called for restraint and said that Somalia’s sovereignty should be respected. The Council expressed its deep concern over the potential impact on the wider region of an escalation of tensions.
