Jigjiga (PP News Desk) — The President of Somali region in Ethiopia, Mustafa Mohammad Omer, claimed that the maritime Memorandum of Understanding that Abiy Ahmed, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, signed in January 2024 with the President of the Somaliland Administration, Muse Bihi, would enable Ethiopia to acquire a commercial seaport. “120 million people live in Ethiopia. Since we [Ethiopia] spend a lot of money on goods we import through ports in other countries, the Memorandum of Understanding will benefit Ethiopia and the entity we signed with,” said Omer.
His statement sent shock waves in Hargeisa, where political elites have accused President Bihi of encouraging Ethiopia to acquire a commercial seaport in parts of Northern Somalia controlled by the Somaliland Administration, a move that will drastically reduce Ethiopia’s dependency on Djibouti Ports, and will totally upend Berbera as an important seaport in the Horn of Africa.
“We in the Somali region of Ethiopia will benefit hugely from the MoU. Somalis in Ethiopia suffer due to lack of a seaport, and as Abiy Ahmed said, the maritime MoU is not an attack on another country’s sovereignty. The Somali region of Ethiopia had experienced wars in the past, and we must avoid being dragged into a conflict over the MoU,” said Omer, who seems adamant about supporting the Ethiopian government to violate the sovereignty of Somalia. “Both Ethiopia and the other entity we signed the deal with will reap benefits once a seaport is built on the leased land,” Omer said without mentioning the name of the Somaliland Administration. In January 2024 Muse Bihi claimed that the leased coastal territory would be used as a naval base for Ethiopia. The Federal Government of Somalia rejected the maritime MoU which is a violation of the territorial and political unity of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
© Puntland Post, 2024
