Somalia dominated out Thursday any potential mediation with Ethiopia except Addis Ababa canceled a controversial settlement with the breakaway area of Somaliland.
Tensions within the Horn of Africa have escalated after landlocked Ethiopia reached a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Somaliland on Jan. 1 that provides it entry to the ocean.
“There is no space for mediation unless Ethiopia retracts its illegal MOU and reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia,” the nation’s Foreign Ministry mentioned in a press release posted on its official social media accounts.
The remark comes after the African Union’s battle decision physique Wednesday mentioned the disaster and known as on the 2 nations “to exercise restraint, de-escalate and engage in meaningful dialogue towards finding a peaceful resolution of the matter.”
East Africa grouping IGAD can also be holding a rare summit in Uganda on Thursday on the Ethiopia-Somalia feud, in addition to the battle in Sudan.
Somalia says its sovereignty and territorial integrity have been violated by the pact and has appealed for worldwide help.
Under the Jan. 1 deal, Somaliland agreed to lease 20 kilometers (12 miles) of its coast for 50 years to Ethiopia, which desires to arrange a naval base and a industrial port on the coast.
Somaliland is a former British protectorate dealing with the Gulf of Aden which declared its independence from Somalia in 1991, a transfer not acknowledged by the worldwide group.
Source: www.dailysabah.com