In an exclusive interview, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says Somalia will not give in to “pressure” on the breakaway region.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has warned Ethiopia against taking steps to implement a controversial port deal he negotiated with the breakaway region of Somaliland.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on January 1, Somaliland leased landlocked Ethiopia 20 kilometers (12 miles) of its coastline around the port of Berbera in the Gulf of Aden for 50 years to military and commercial purposes.
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera on Tuesday, Mohamud said Ethiopian assets would have to cross into Somali territory to reach the leased area and warned Addis Ababa against taking such a step.
“So far the Ethiopians have not entered Somalia. If they do, then it will be a problem on another level,” Mohamud said.
Egypt, which is involved in a separate dispute with Ethiopia over a major dam on the Blue Nile, has promised to support Mogadishu in the Somaliland dispute. Mohamud said he discussed recent developments with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, but that the two sides did not discuss a joint military intervention.
“We have not talked about the arrival of the Egyptian army in Somalia and we believe that the problem has not reached [that point] still,” said the Somali president. “And that is why we warn [Ethiopia]: Do not do it please.”
Ethiopia aims to establish a marine force base on territory leased from Somaliland and gain a port for maritime exports on the Red Sea and Suez Canal, which could improve its access to Europe. Currently, Addis Ababa depends mainly on tiny Djibouti for its port operations for inbound and outbound trade.
Somaliland, a region of Somalia that broke away in 1991 after a bloody war, has welcomed the agreement as it seeks international recognition and economic opportunities beyond Mogadishu.
Somalia has been angered by the deal that bypasses its federal government and says it threatens the integrity of its own territory.
“This is a piece of land that belongs to Somalia and [we] he will never give in to any pressure put on him,” Mohamud said.
The Somali head of state accused Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of having kept him “in the dark” about the agreement with Somaliland when they met in Djibouti at the end of December for “very good” talks on Somalia’s “unity.” , a few days before. the memorandum of understanding was signed.
Asked if he thought there could be a win-win solution to the crisis, which has stoked fears of a prolonged diplomatic rift, he said the ball was in Ethiopia's court.
“The question is not whether Ethiopia will have access to the sea. We want Ethiopia to have access to the sea, there is no doubt about that,” Mohamud said, adding that the federal government was willing to negotiate an agreement with Addis Ababa. “But taking over a piece of land, we're not prepared for that.”
“They have to [initiate] an environment conducive to communicating, negotiating and dialogue,” he added.
Mogadishu has claimed the deal amounts to a land grab, while Addis Ababa says the deal is commercial in nature and vital to its economic needs.
On January 17, the Arab League said it supported Somalia's diplomatic efforts to address “this dangerous situation.” Qatar, Turkey, the United States, the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation have also urged Ethiopia to respect Mogadishu's sovereignty.
