Ethiopia and Somalia have pledged to restore and strengthen their bilateral relations, taking a major step toward resolving recent diplomatic tensions between the Horn of Africa neighbours.
The agreement was formalized during a meeting in Addis Ababa between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was on a working visit to Ethiopia.
The leaders engaged in constructive talks on regional and bilateral matters, focusing on fostering the fraternal bond between their nations, according to a joint communiqué issued Saturday evening.
Ethiopia and Somalia’s restoration of diplomatic ties comes just a month after discussions mediated by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. During these talks, the leaders of both nations agreed to collaborate on commercial solutions aimed at providing Ethiopia, a landlocked country, with “reliable, secure, and sustainable access to and from the sea.”
Tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia had been mounting following reports of an agreement earlier in 2024 between Ethiopia and Somaliland. The agreement purportedly granted Ethiopia access to the Red Sea in exchange for recognizing Somaliland—a self-declared autonomous region of Somalia—as an independent state. Somalia dismissed the agreement as legally invalid.
The dispute pushed Somalia closer to Egypt, which has been in a longstanding quarrel with Ethiopia over the construction of a massive hydroelectric dam on the Nile River. Additionally, Somalia strengthened ties with Eritrea, another of Ethiopia’s long-time adversaries.
In a bid to normalize relations, Ethiopia’s Defense Minister Aisha Mohammed led a high-level delegation to Somalia earlier this month, reaffirming the commitment of both nations to strengthening their bilateral ties.
