Kenyan MPs Urge International Community to Intervene on Ethiopia – Somaliland deal

GOOBJOOG NEWS | NAIROBI: Kenyan Members of Parliament from the North Eastern region have implored the international community to intervene and revoke the naval deal between the Somaliland region of Somalia and Ethiopia.

Led by Dadaab MP Farah Maalim and his Eldas Counterpart Adan Keynan warned that given the the ethnic and cultural ties between the peoples of North Eastern Kenya and Somalia, they will face the brunt if the deal is soiled.

“We call on the African Union, IGAD and the United Nations to urgently institute measures for cessation of hostilities by calling for an urgent end to this blatant provocation by the Federal Republic of Ethiopia and immediate cancellation of “Memorandum of Understanding of partnerships,” Maalim stated.

The legislators castigated Ethiopian Government’s action to establish direct international relations with a region of Somaliland saying it’s in breach of the territorial integrity and abuse of the political independence of the State of Somalia.

“Ethiopia has no diplomatic wiggle-room as regards lease of land or access to sea port/front within Somalia territory and that only the State of Somalia has the state-instruments to grant or otherwise under international Law,” the Dadaab MP noted.

Regional Peace

Eldas MP mentioned that the Horn of Africa has been struggling to maintain peace given the historical spillover of chaos, conflict and insecurity in the region with displaced people scampering for shelter in the country.

“So our appeal is, Mr. President, wherever you are, just like you’re engaged in the Sudan affair call IGAD for an urgent meeting. Let this issue be discussed and Ethiopia be forced to rescind this otherwise this is going to create chaos in the region,” said Keynan.

In the deal that was signed in Addis Ababa on Monday for 50 Years, Somaliland entered the coastal deal in exchange for international recognition where it agreed to lease a 20km stretch of Sea port access to Ethiopian Naval forces.