Somalia and Ethiopia end diplomatic rift
Speaking at a press conference in Mogadishu, following meetings with Ethiopia's Defence Minister Aisha Mohamed and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mesganu Arga, Fiqi declared the protracted diplomatic dispute over.
Somalia's Foreign Affairs Minister, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, announced on Thursday that Somalia and Ethiopia have put their diplomatic differences behind them.
Speaking at a press conference in Mogadishu, following meetings with Ethiopia's Defence Minister Aisha Mohamed and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mesganu Arga, Fiqi declared the protracted diplomatic dispute over.
More To Read
- Somalia hopes for positive strides in 2025 as country moves away from troubled past
- Turkish President Erdogan to visit Ethiopia, Somalia after brokering landmark deal
- UN extends Al-Shabaab sanctions in Somalia, paves way for new stabilisation mission
- AU, IGAD welcome Ethiopia, Somalia agreement to end Somaliland port dispute
"The issues we faced with Ethiopia have been resolved through Somalia's patience and trust in the process, despite Ethiopia's prior occupation of our land," he said.
This marks the first visit by Ethiopian ministers to Mogadishu since the diplomatic fallout began after Ethiopia signed a January 2024 accord with the breakaway Somaliland region, granting it access to the sea and a naval base in exchange for recognising Somaliland's independence.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan poses with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed following a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, December 11, 2024. (Photo: Murat Kula/Presidential Press Office/ REUTERS)
Thursday's meeting, which also included the Somali Defence Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, concludes a 12-month-long strained relations during which Somalia successfully campaigned to assert its territorial integrity.
Troops' withdrawal
Previously, Somalia cut ties with Ethiopia and demanded the withdrawal of approximately 7,000 Ethiopian troops deployed to combat the Al-Shabaab.
Somali Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Moalim Fiqi stated, "The issue we had with Ethiopia was resolved through Somalia's patience and the trust placed in the process, despite Ethiopia having occupied our land."@AhmedMoFiqi pic.twitter.com/tz7PzFBrHn
— Abdikarin Dahir (@Abdikarindahirr) January 2, 2025
Somalia also announced that it would not invite Ethiopia to participate in the newly mandated UN AUSSOM peace enforcement mission.
The political intervention of Türkiye’s President Tayyip Erdogan was pivotal in bringing the two countries back from the brink.
On December 11, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed agreed to end their feud by signing the Ankara Declaration under Erdogan's watchful eye.
The deadline set by Somalia for the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops has come and gone. While there is speculation that Somalia may reconsider its position on the presence of Ethiopian troops and possibly invite Addis Ababa to contribute to AUSSOM, no official statement has confirmed any change of heart on Somalia's part.
