Somalia declares Ethiopia-Somaliland port agreement 'illegal' and nullifies deal

• President Mohamud declares the Ethiopia-Somaliland port deal "illegal" and nullifies the agreement.
• Somalia cites concerns over its territorial integrity amid Ethiopia's bid for Red Sea access through Somaliland.
• Somalia a few days ago pledged to use "legal means" to defend its land.

The deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland, which grants Ethiopia access to Somaliland's port has been nullified and deemed "illegal" according to Somalia's president, as seen in the newspaper, The East African.

“This evening, I signed the law nullifying the illegal MoU between the Gov’t of Ethiopia & Somaliland. With the support of our lawmakers & our people, this law is an illustration of our commitment to safeguard our unity, sovereignty & territorial integrity as per international law,” Somalia’s president relayed via X, formerly known as Twitter.

To elaborate, this contention stems from Ethiopia's desired access to the Red Sea through Somaliland, a breakaway area in the northwest over which Somalia claims belongs to it.

On January 2nd, 2024, Somalia declared that it would do whatever it took to maintain its territorial integrity in reaction to Ethiopia's agreement with the Republic of Somaliland.

Somalia promised to use all "legal means" at its disposal to defend its land. While Somaliland views itself as an independent state, Somalia views Somaliland as a part of its territory.

This response followed the news that Ethiopia and Somaliland were inching closer to the port agreement a day prior. The deal grants Ethiopia access to the Red Sea via a port in Somaliland, in exchange, Ethiopia would recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state alongside other benefits.

This constitutes a major problem for Somalia given that it considers Somaliland a breakaway state. Somalia argues that giving Ethiopia access to the port is not Somaliland’s decision to make.

Somaliland broke away from Somalia more than 30 years ago. However, to this day it has not been recognized as an independent state by the African Union (AU) or the United Nations (UN).