In a significant move, Somalia has threatened to expel thousands of Ethiopian troops stationed in the country to assist with security, by the end of the year unless Ethiopia cancels a controversial port deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland. The announcement was made by a senior Somali official on Monday, highlighting the escalating tensions between the two neighboring nations.
Currently, around 3,000 Ethiopian soldiers are posted in Somalia as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission (ATMIS) in Somalia, aimed at combating the militant group al-Shabaab. Additionally, an estimated 5,000-7,000 Ethiopian troops are stationed in various regions of Somalia under a bilateral agreement between the two countries.
Relations between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa deteriorated earlier this year following Ethiopia’s decision to lease 20 kilometers of coastline from Somaliland, a part of Somalia that has failed to win international recognition even though it claims to have independence and has had an effective autonomy since 1991.
Ethiopia offered Somaliland possible recognition in exchange for being allowed to set up a naval base and commercial port – a move Mogadishu has called illegal.
Somalia’s national security adviser, Hussein Sheikh-Ali, warned that unless Ethiopia revokes the agreement before the end of June, or when the new mandate of the peacekeeping mission is decided, all Ethiopian troops, both from ATMIS and bilateral agreements, will be asked to leave Somalia. Sheikh-Ali noted that Ethiopia cannot be considered an ally while pursuing actions deemed aggressive by Somalia.
He said, “If they do not repeal the (agreement) before the end of June, or when the new mandate of the mission is decided, all Ethiopian troops, ATMIS and bilateral, will have to go. Ethiopia cannot be an ally and at the same time an aggressor.”
Despite requests from the Somali government to slow down the withdrawal of peacekeeping troops, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) is scheduled to fully withdraw and hand over security responsibilities to the Somali state by the end of 2024. Somalia has urged for a new, smaller peacekeeping mission to be announced by the end of June, with the exclusion of Ethiopian troops. The troops come from Burundi, Djibouti, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Melissa Enoch
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