The call for an extraordinary IGAD meeting follows consultations between chairperson Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh with President Museveni over the summit slated for January 18, 2024.
KAMPALA – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has agreed to host an extraordinary meeting aimed at deescalating tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia.
The rise in tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia follows a historic deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland.
The call for an extraordinary meeting follows consultations between IGAD chairperson Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh with President Museveni over the summit slated for January 18, 2024.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which is headquartered in Djibouti city, Djibouti, is an eight-country trade bloc in Africa that includes governments from the Horn of Africa, the Nile Valley, and the African Great Lakes.
The member countries are Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Eritrea.
According to a letter issued by the Djibouti Foreign Affairs Ministry and international cooperation sent out on January 11, 2024, addressed to IGAD member states and the IGAD Secretariat, Guelleh, in his capacity as IGAD chairperson, has summoned an extraordinary summit in Kampala.
The letter says the summit will be headlined by two main issues: The ongoing situation between Ethiopia and Somalia and the war in Sudan.
Call for Collaboration
IGAD executive secretary Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, on January 3, 2024, also appealed for collaboration between Somalia and Ethiopia following a sea access deal.
The IGAD expressed ‘deep concern regarding recent developments’ and says he is diligently monitoring the situation and recognizes the potential implications for regional stability.
The deal
The “historic” memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somaliland leader Muse Bihi Abdi gives Ethiopia access to the Red Sea port of Berbera and a leased military base.
Under an MoU, Somaliland agreed to lease 20km of its coast for 50 years to land-locked Ethiopia, which indicated it wants to set up a naval base and a commercial port.
Somaliland is a former British protectorate facing the Gulf of Aden, which declared its independence from Somalia in 1991 but isn’t recognized by the international community.
According to a statement issued by the IGAD Secretariat & Communication Unit, given the circumstances, the executive secretary urged IGAD ‘leaders to be seized and appealed to the two sisterly countries to collaborate towards a peaceful and amicable resolution of the situation, upholding the shared values that unite the IGAD family’.
Ethiopia insisted shortly after that its deal with Somaliland broke no laws after Somalia accused its neighbor of a blatant attack on its sovereignty.
However, the agreement, signed in Addis Ababa on New Year’s Day, has raised concerns about the stability of the turbulent Horn of Africa region.
The government in Mogadishu protested the agreement and said it had recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia and issued an appeal to the international community to stand by its side over the “blatant assault” on its sovereignty.
Addis Ababa defended the agreement, saying other countries had done deals with Somaliland in the past and that the agreement with Somaliland “will affect no party or country.”.
The agreement is part of Somaliland’s three-decade-old campaign to win support for its independence claim.
Somaliland president Muse Bihi Abdi said that in return for sea access, Ethiopia would become the first nation to “extend international recognition for our country,” although this has not been confirmed by Addis Ababa.
The deal gives Ethiopia the opportunity to obtain a permanent and reliable naval base and commercial maritime service in the Gulf of Aden.
Ethiopia lost its Red Sea ports in the early 1990s after the Eritrean War of Independence, which lasted from 1961 to 1991.
The separation resulted in Ethiopia losing direct access to the Red Sea and key ports.
IGAD said it remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting peace, stability, cooperation, and regional integration.
AU and international partners to be invited
According to the letter, official invitations will be sent to the African Union (AU) and international partners through diplomatic channels.
