Turkey to mediate Somalia’s conflict with Ethiopia

ANKARA, Turkey - The government of Turkey has offered to host Ethiopia and Somalia for a roundtable meeting after the two countries fell out over access to the sea, a move which irked the leadership of Mogadishu over Addis's actions.

Multiple sources hinted that Turkey has offered to chair the mediation to avert the conflict which has triggered discomfort in the Horn of Africa region. Somalia had initially dismissed the push for conciliation.

In a tough-worded statement, Somalia demanded that Ethiopia withdraw the agreement with Somaliland before any mediation talks are done while accusing the landlocked country of violating its sovereignty and trying to secure access to the sea through Somaliland, a breakaway region in the north.

The controversial MOU Ethiopia signed with Somaliland on 1st Jan 2024 is the focus of this latest diplomatic effort, according to the reports. Ethiopia had pledged to recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state in exchange for 20 kilometers of the Red Sea.

Once the agreement was actualized, Ethiopia planned to construct a military base and port in the Red Sea just within Somalia, a move vehemently opposed by Somalia. Mogadishu had reached out to Ankara and Cairo for assistance.

Before the reports on mediation surfaced, Somalia had signed a defence cooperation with Turkey which would see war tankers stationed within the Indian Ocean just like Egypt, which had vowed to assist Somalia effectively face the enemy.

Ethiopia has been using the Port of Djibouti and Lamu for access to the sea. Both Addis Ababa and Hargeisa maintain that the implementation of the controversial agreement is ongoing despite the protests from Mogadishu.

GAROWE ONLINE