Kampala, (SONNA) – The Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) of the Federal Government of Somalia, H.E Salah Ahmed Jama who gave an interview to the Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) was asked if Somaliland had the right to lease land to Ethiopia and said they are not entitled to get into international agreements because they are part and parcel of Somalia.
“Before the first of January this year, Somalia was busy fixing its economy, fighting Al-Shabaab, finishing a debt relief process that took us well over a decade, successfully launching a serious fight against Al-Shabaab re-establishing its relations in the International ring, and as part of the political program of our President and the current government under the Prime Minister, Somalia’s Foreign policy is informed by a ‘Somali that is at peace with itself and with the rest of the world’, Mr. Jama said.
He also said that the issue regarding the MoU is a ‘rather unexpected development from Ethiopia’ and that is a serious concern for the Somali Government and the people and will have a serious effect on the people living in the Horn of Africa.
“This was about time to focus on dealing with the effects of climate change, food insecurity, economic development, economic integration, the well-being of our societies, it is absolutely astonishing that in this era one state tries to get into the annexed territory into the country with the claim that they need to have access to the sea, in fact, Ethiopia can access seas or ports in Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, and Eritrea, there is no shortage of accessibility of ports. But this is a very blatant and infringement on Somalia’s sovereignty rights, and it can have a serious effect, not only on the Horn of Africa but he larger great sea area,” DPM Salah said.
The Deputy Prime Minister said that this issue can trigger conflicts because of the ‘irresponsible behavior’ from the Ethiopian leadership.
Mr. Salah was also asked about the fights against the Al-Shabaab terrorists and said that their origin can be traced back to when the Ethiopian army came to Somalia and their radicalization began from there, but since then the Government has put its efforts in fighting the militant group and eradicate them from Somalia.
