Ethiopia has on Tuesday officially confirmed that it indeed signed a “historic”Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the breakaway region of Somaliland.
An official statement from the Office of the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed formally confirmed that Ethiopia signed the agreement with Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi on January 1, 2024.
The statement added that the MoU signed by the two leaders is mutually beneficial to both Ethiopia and Somaliland.
It also broadly emphasized that Ethiopia would greatly benefit from a secure access to the sea while diversifying its access to seaports.
Ethiopia says that the agreement is great for the security, political, and economic partnership between of both Ethiopia and Somaliland.
The confirmation by Ethiopia’s government comes hours after Somalia Federal Government declared the deal null and void and passed a legal binding document invalidating the agreement reached between the two sides.
Somalia warned Ethiopia against violating the territorial integrity and its sovereignty which it said could ignite regional turmoil.
The Horn of Africa Nation has n response to the pact recalled its Ambassador to Ethiopia and ordered the immediate closure of Ethiopia’s Embassy in the capital Mogadishu.
The deal which paves way for Ethiopia to have access to the Red sea continues to generate outrage among different stakeholders including the members of the public from Somalia and Somaliland.
Hargeisa residents who angrily spoke about the agreement termed the deal ” unlawful” and accused President Muse Bihi of selling Somalia to Ethiopia which they said would not be part and parcel of it.