Somali Parliament Declares Ethiopia Deal Void, Says Somaliland Lacks Legal Standing

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: The Federal Parliament of Somalia has declared null and void an agreement between Ethiopia and the break-away region of Somaliland as local and international pressure mounts on Addis Ababa to rescind its decision.

A resolution of the Joint Session of the Lower and Upper Houses of Parliament on Tuesday declared the MoU inconsequential and without any legal basis, noting that Somaliland did not have any legal capacity to enter into such an agreement.

“The agreement between the Government of Ethiopia and Somaliland reached on January 1, 2024, in the city of Addis Ababa, is nothing without a legal basis, as it is against the Constitution of the country, international laws such as the United Nations Charter, the Charter of the African Union, the Act establishing the IGAD Regional Organization, and the International Resolutions of the Council,” article one of the resolution reads.

“Any agreement entered into with a government or other foreign entity that contradicts the Federal Constitution is null and void,” Article 3 of the resolution reads. It noted that only the Federal Government, with the approval of the Federal Parliament or through Presidential Decrees, has the exclusive right to sign international agreements of this nature.

The lawmakers also directed the Federal Government to transmit the resolution to the African Union, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the IGAD Regional Organization and the United Nations Office.