Saturday May 11, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has accused the Ethiopian government of pursuing a long-standing desire to claim parts of Somalia's sea, warning Ethiopia to adhere its recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Somaliland leader.
President Mohamud, speaking at a mosque in Mogadishu on Friday, addressed several issues facing his government, particularly the diplomatic conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia.
Mohamud accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of seeking to take advantage of the current situation in Somalia and renewed Ethiopia's long-standing desire to forcibly get the Somali sea.
"Today, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia and his government have shown that Somalia is recovering. As long as Somalia does not stand on its own feet, let it be taken advantage of. Ethiopia has always sought access to our sea in the past," Mohamud said.
President Mohamud urged Ethiopia to abandon its ambitions in the Somali sea. However, if it persists in its efforts, he warned that it will meet the same fate as its previous ambitions.
In January, Ethiopia signed a sea access agreement with Somaliland, a move rejected by Mogadishu, which labeled it “illegitimate” and deemed it a threat to good neighbourliness, as well as a violation of its sovereignty.
The agreement permits Ethiopia to lease a 20-kilometer (12-mile) stretch of coastal land in Somaliland, providing the landlocked nation with crucial access to the Red Sea through the port of Berbera.