The European Union has expressed its “full support” to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia, amid rising tensions over a port deal between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland.
The EU’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, said he had a phone conversation with Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday, and reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to the Horn of Africa nation.
“I reaffirmed the full support of the EU to the unity, the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of #Somalia. The Horn of Africa doesn’t need more tensions,” Borrell wrote on X.
His statement came after Somalia rejected a pact that Somaliland signed with Ethiopia on Monday, allowing it to use the port on the Red Sea in exchange for recognition as an independent state.
Somalia called the agreement a “clear violation” of its sovereignty and appealed to the international community to stand by its side.
Ethiopia, a landlocked country with a population of over 100 million, has been seeking more access to sea ports for its trade and development.
The agreement has also drawn criticism from other countries in the region, such as Egypt and Turkey, who see it as a threat to their interests and influence in the Horn of Africa.
Somalia and Ethiopia have a long history of rivalry and conflict, but they have recently improved their relations under the leadership of Abiy Ahmed, who became Ethiopia’s prime minister in 2018.
Abiy has also initiated a peace process with Eritrea, Ethiopia’s former province that seceded in 1993 and fought a border war with Ethiopia from 1998 to 2000.
However, the port deal with Somaliland has raised new challenges for the stability and cooperation in the region, as Somalia struggles to overcome decades of civil war and terrorism.
