Somalia and Eritrea hold talks as tensions rise in the Horn of Africa

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia met with President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea on the sidelines of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing, China, on Tuesday.

The two leaders engaged in what Villa Somalia described as "a productive discussion on regional matters of concern."

The meeting between the leaders of Somalia and Eritrea comes amid renewed tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia over the anticipated deployment of Egyptian forces as part of a peacekeeping mission set to begin next year in Somalia, as announced in an African Union communiqué earlier this month.

Egypt recently delivered its first military aid to Somalia in more than four decades, a move likely to deepen strains between Ethiopia and Somalia.

This growing closeness between Egypt and Somalia follows Ethiopia's preliminary agreement with Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, to lease coastal land in exchange for potential recognition of Somaliland's independence.

This agreement has further strained relations between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa.

Given the current complex rivalry between Eritrea, Somalia, and Ethiopia, it is likely that discussions about Ethiopia were part of the meeting between the Eritrean and Somali leaders.

Historically, Eritrea and the Tigray region of Ethiopia have had a fraught relationship.

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud holds talks with his counterpart President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea on the sidelines of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing, China on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. (Photo: Villa Somalia)

After a nearly 17-year-long civil war beginning in the mid-1970s, the Eritrean EPLF and the Tigrayan TPLF jointly overthrew Ethiopia's Derg regime in 1991, which led to Eritrea's independence and the TPLF's rise to power in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia, a landlocked country with a growing population and economy, has long sought access to a port.

It recently struck a deal with Somaliland for coastal access, angering authorities in Mogadishu.

Ethiopia's most immediate target for a port was the Eritrean Red Sea port of Assab, which was part of Ethiopia until Ethiopia gained independence over 30 years ago.

Ethiopia has not used the Assab port since the 1998 Ethiopian-Eritrean war and the border closure that followed, instead rerouting its trade through neighbouring Djibouti.

Although the logistics of Djibouti are functional, it is not Ethiopian territory.

The talks between President Mohamud and President Afwerki also focused on enhancing collaboration in the mutual interests of both nations, further strengthening their strategic bilateral relations.