Somalia rejected a treaty negotiated by its breakaway province of Somaliland with Ethiopia that would allow it to use a major port with access to the Red Sea in exchange for recognition as an independent state.
Somalia, which considers Somaliland part of its territory, has summoned its envoy to Ethiopia to discuss the deal {with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somaliland leader Muse Bihi Abdi.
The agreement would allow landlocked Ethiopia, which relies on neighboring Djibouti for most of its marine trade, to lease for 50 years 20 km surrounding the port of Berbera, located on the Gulf of Aden, with access to the Red Sea.
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In response, Somaliland's leader stated that Ethiopia would be the first to recognize Somaliland as an independent nation.
Abiy's desire to access the Red Sea has heightened tensions between Ethiopia and its neighbors, raising fears of a new conflict in the Horn of Africa.
In October, Abiy stated that Ethiopia's existence is "linked to the Red Sea," and that "if we (countries in the Horn of Africa) plan to live together in peace, we must find a way to mutually share with each other in a balanced manner."
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud stated in parliament that "no one has the power give away a piece of Somalia" after an emergency cabinet meeting that said the deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland was "an open interference with Somalia's sovereignty, freedom and unity" and "null and void".
"Somaliland, you are the northern regions of Somalia, and Ethiopia has no recognition for you," Mohamud added. If Ethiopia claims to have recognized you, such recognition does not exist."
According to Abiy's national security adviser, Ethiopia will offer Somaliland a part in state-owned Ethiopian Airlines in exchange for access to the Red Sea. It is unclear how much is at stake.
Billene Seyoum, Abiy's office spokesperson, Meles Alem, Ethiopia's foreign affairs ministry spokesperson, and Legesse Tulu, Ethiopian government spokesperson, did not immediately respond to demands for comment.
Despite declaring independence from Somalia in 1991, Somaliland has received little international recognition.
