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Somalia, Ethiopia tensions not good for the region - Djibouti Foreign Minister

Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 23, 2023. (AFP)

By Hassan Mohamed | 28 Mar 2024

He did not clarify when the second meeting would be held, neither did he divulge any outcome from the first meeting in Nairobi.

Djibouti and Kenya are working to restore relations between Somalia and Ethiopia in a bid to improve peace in the volatile Horn of Africa region, Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf has confirmed.

The Minister revealed to reporters late on Wednesday in Kampala, Uganda, that Djibouti plans to host a second round of talks between Somalia and Ethiopia after the first meeting took place in Nairobi, Kenya.

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He did not clarify when the second meeting would be held, nor did he divulge any outcome from the first meeting in Nairobi.

“The only important thing for us is to restore good relations between Somalia and Ethiopia the way they used to be. That is also the wish of President Ismail Omar Guelleh. Our region has many problems. We do not want new problems; we also do not want a new war in the region,” Minister Youssouf said.

When asked about his response to the maritime agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland that ignited diplomatic tensions between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa, the minister reaffirmed Djibouti's respect for the sovereignty and unity of Somalia.

“This MoU's was signed, but since then, have you seen any developments in implementing the deal? What's crucial is that we are actively working towards reconciliation between Ethiopia and Somalia. Kenya and Djibouti are trying to reconcile. A previous meeting was held in Nairobi, and we hope a second meeting will take place in Djibouti,” he said.

Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya are all members of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which is based in Djibouti. The minister said reconciling feuding neighbours is a moral responsibility for them.

“Djibouti is leading IGAD countries, and as such, whenever IGAD members have a dispute, it's our responsibility to look for solutions and reconcile them. Our first objective was to bring them together. Djibouti’s stand on Somalia is clear, and as we said before, we respect its sovereignty and unity," he added.

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed both attended last month's sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi. It was not clear then whether the two leaders separately met in Nairobi over the dispute.

President Hassan has been playing hardball and previously refused to meet with PM Aby of Ethiopia, saying he would only meet with the Ethiopian leader if he publicly retracted from the maritime deal Ethiopia signed with Somaliland.

The diplomatic tussle between the two countries sparked in January this year when landlocked Ethiopia signed a contentious maritime deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland. In return, Addis Ababa promised to recognise it as a state.

Kenya, for the first time, recently publicly affirmed its commitment to respecting the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia. Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi said this when he met his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, in Nairobi.

Both Somalia and Ethiopia are yet to publicly confirm or deny the ongoing mediation efforts by Kenya and Djibouti.