We Have no Intentions of Going to War with Ethiopia – President Mohamud

GOOBJOOG NEWS | DOHA: Somalia will not go to war with Ethiopia over the recent controversial MoU with the break-away region of Somalia, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has said.

Speaking during a media interview in Qatar where he is on an official visit, President Mohamud said his country was not anticipating any war with its neighbour Ethiopia but warned, ‘unless circumstances change.’

“We have no plans or intentions to go to war with Ethiopia at present, but if things change, we will have to react then,” President Mohamud said.

The Somali leader has been on a whirlwind tour of friendly nations to shore up support for his government’s rejection of the MoU. The MoU inked by Addis Ababa and Hargeisa sought to grant Ethiopia a 50-year leasehold over a maritime territory which involves the establishment of a naval base.

Several countries, including the US, UK and the European Union have condemned the MoU. Regionally, both IGAD and the African Union have also warned against the deal.

President Mohamud however warned that the MoU was instead providing a launching pad for the militant group Al-Shabaab.

“We do not want to divert our focus from the war on the Al-Shabaab terrorists,” the Somali leader said. “But these militias are now exploiting the MoU between Ethiopia-Somaliland to call for the recruitment of young people to join the extremists under the pretext of the return of the “Crusaders.”

Egypt, where the president visited before Qatar warned it would take action should Ethiopia interfere with Somalia’s territorial integrity.

President Mohamud added that his country was within its right as a member of the Arab League to seek support from the bloc.