Ethiopia Takes Steps Poised to Recognize Somaliland and Utilize Berbera Port

Addis Ababa – The Federal Republic of Ethiopia is on the brink of becoming the first African nation to officially recognize the self-declared independent state of Somaliland. The is following discussions between Somaliland President Muse Bihi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa on Monday.

Strategic partnership has been agreed upon and Ethiopia is set to leverage the Berbera Port, enhancing regional connectivity and trade. In an additional agreement, Somaliland has agreed to lease 20 kilometers of its coastline to Ethiopia, providing access to the Ethiopian Navy, also known as the Imperial Ethiopian Navy.

President Bihi expressed the importance of this collaboration, emphasizing that the Ethiopian Navy’s access to the sea would play a pivotal role. 

In reciprocation to the gesture of Hargeisa’s goodwill, Mr. Bihi said the Addis Ababa and Federal Government of Ethiopia will recognize the autonomous region. 

The Ethiopian Navy, reorganized after 31 years, recently saw graduating officers trained in various fields such as navigation, engineering, electricity, communication, and armament.

The transformation of the Ethiopian Navy followed discussions with a visiting Russian navy delegation last year, outlining plans to reorganize the unit with trained manpower based on international naval practices. An agreement with the Russian Federation Navy has been solidified, paving the way for collaborative training efforts.

Ethiopia, a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa, shares borders with Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Sudan. 

Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s potential recognition of Somaliland could create a diplomatic scuffle, aligning with Somaliland’s longstanding pursuit of international acknowledgment since the fall of Siyad Barre’s government in the early ’90s could be a tough option for Ethiopia. 

Somalia and the breakaway region of Somaliland had last week agreed to resume dialogue to resolve outstanding issues, after long-running political tensions and years of deadlock.

A deal was signed on Friday after two days of talks mediated by Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh, the first of their kind since 2020 when similar negotiations stalled.

The northern region has been seeking full statehood since claiming independence from Somalia in 1991, a move fiercely opposed by Mogadishu and not recognised internationally.

Somaliland has often been seen as a beacon of stability in the chaotic Horn of Africa region, although political tensions surfaced there earlier this year, spilling over into deadly violence.

Previous rounds of talks between the two sides have been held on and off between 2012 and 2020 but failed to make any headway.