Kenya put forward a plan for a regional maritime treaty on Thursday, aiming to ease tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia.
In January, Ethiopia inked an agreement with the breakaway Somaliland region, leasing a segment of its coastline. This move irked Somalia, escalating regional instability.
Tensions arose in the initial days of April, as Somalia expelled Ethiopia’s ambassador and shut down Ethiopia’s consulates in Somaliland and Puntland.
Kenya, in collaboration with Djibouti and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), proposed the treaty to regulate landlocked states’ access to ports.
According to Kenya’s principal secretary for Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing’oei, Somalia and Ethiopia are reviewing the proposal, seeking a diplomatic resolution, adding that the treaty would be a way to ensure regional stability.
It follows Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s meeting on Thursday with his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto in Nairobi as part of efforts to resolve the dispute.
Melissa Enoch
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