Somali, Ethiopian Leaders to Engage Over Controversial MoU in Turkey as Dec 31 Troops Pull-Out Looms
GOOBJOOG NEWS|ANKARA: Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed are set to hold direct talks in Ankara, Turkey, in what is the highest level of engagement between the two countries after close to a year of bitter exchanges.
President Mohamud arrived in Ankara Tuesday night and will be joined by PM Ahmed under the mediation of Turkish President Recep Erdogan.
According to sources, the two leaders will first meet separately before a meeting with Edorgan under the auspices of the Somalia-Ethiopia summit.
Turkiye has mediated the two sides on two occasions this year with no tangible commitments. Somalia has maintained that Ethiopia must withdraw the controversial January 1, 2024, MoU with Somaliland before committing to any agreement. Ethiopia, on its part, is yet to make any intention of withdrawing the agreement.
The Ankara talks come ahead of the December 31 deadline, when Ethiopian forces are expected to leave the country following the end of the ATMIS mandate. Somalia has said it will not allow Ethiopia to participate in the African Union Stabilision Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), whose mandate kicks off in January.
Ethiopia sees its presence in Somalia, especially in the border states of Jubaland, HirShabelle, and South West states, as critical to creating a buffer against the Al-Shabaab incursion.
On January 1, this year, Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland entered into a Memorandum of Understanding that sought to grant the Ethiopian military a 20-kilometer stretch along the coastal areas bordering the Red Sea.
In return, Ethiopia would ‘consider’ recognising Somaliland as an independent state. This sparked sharp rebuke from the Federal Government and the international community, which called for unconditional withdrawal of the MoU.
However, several Ethiopian officials, including the Prime Minister, have indicated that their access to the sea was unstoppable.
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