Ethiopia and Somaliland have signed a “historic” agreement giving Ethiopia access to the sea via a port on the territory of this breakaway region of Somalia, the authorities in Addis Ababa announced on Tuesday January 2.
The agreement “will pave the way for the realization of Ethiopia’s aspiration to secure its access to the sea and diversify its access to seaports”, explains a statement from the office of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on X. “It also strengthens their security, economic and political partnership,” they add, naming the two signatories.
The “historic” memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland was signed by Mr. Abiy and the separatist region’s leader, Muse Bihi Abdi, in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s office added.
The text grants Ethiopia 20 kilometers of access to the Red Sea on Somaliland territory, including the port of Berbera, for a period of 50 years. In exchange, “Ethiopia will formally recognize the Republic of Somaliland”, Muse Bihi Abdi, the leader of this territory never recognized by the international community since it unilaterally proclaimed its independence from Somalia in 1991, welcomed the agreement on Monday.
Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country, found itself without its own access to the sea when it gained independence from Eritrea in 1993, following a long conflict. It enjoyed access to an Eritrean port until the two countries went to war in 1998-2000, and since then Ethiopia has channelled most of its trade through Djibouti.
Addis Ababa had already acquired 19% of the port of Berbera in 2018, according to DP World, a company that manages operations at this Somaliland port. It holds 51%, with Somaliland owning the remaining 30%.
A former British territory, Somaliland unilaterally declared its independence from Somalia in 1991, just as that country was plunging into a state of chaos from which it still hasn’t emerged. Although it has its own institutions and currency, Somaliland, which has a population of 4.5 million, has never seen its independence recognized by the international community.