Ethiopia, Somalia pursue reconciliation amid naval-base controversy

Ethiopia’s Defense Minister, Aisha Mohammed Mussa, arrived in Somalia on Thursday, marking the first major bilateral visit since relations soured last year over Addis Ababa’s plan to establish a naval base in the breakaway Somali region of Somaliland. Somali State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar confirmed her arrival but offered few details about the agenda.

In a statement posted on social media, Ethiopia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said both nations agreed to strengthen ties and collaborate on the African Union’s AUSSOM peacekeeping mission. Ethiopia currently has as many as 10,000 troops in Somalia to help combat the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgency, yet Mogadishu has threatened to expel them unless Ethiopia rescinds its preliminary deal with Somaliland.

Under that contentious agreement, Somaliland would lease a coastal tract for both an Ethiopian naval base and a commercial port, in exchange for possible recognition of its independence. Somaliland declared autonomy in 1991 but has not been internationally recognized. Somalia regards Somaliland as part of its sovereign territory and denounced the proposed Ethiopian base as aggression. Months of tension ensued, despite international mediation efforts. On December 11, following Turkish-brokered talks, the two neighbors agreed to resolve their dispute through technical negotiations set to begin by the end of February.

Observers fear that any premature Ethiopian troop withdrawal would undermine the fight against al Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency since 2007. Somalia’s sharp response to the naval-base deal has also prompted closer cooperation with Ethiopia’s regional rivals, Egypt and Eritrea, underscoring the Horn of Africa’s complex security dynamics.