Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrived in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, on Thursday to hold discussions with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Somalia’s presidency said, following a thaw in icy relations. The relationship soured in January 2024 when Ethiopia announced plans to lease a stretch of coastline in Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland region.
They will hold talks “on security, politics and diplomacy, economics, and the fight against terrorism in the region,” the Somali government said in a statement.Security officials at the airport said Abiy’s delegation had safely left the airport without incident. However, residents reported mortar attacks in areas near the airport shortly after their departure for the presidential palace. A member of Ethiopia’s delegation told reporters they were not aware of any mortar attacks.
Tension between the two countries mounted last year after Ethiopia struck a deal with the Somali breakaway region of Somaliland to gain access to the sea.
But they announced a full restoration of diplomatic ties in January following a peace deal mediated by Türkiye the previous month.
A source in the Somali presidential palace told reporters on Feb. 26 that Abiy’s visit was “part of a broader effort to complete and implement the Ankara agreement,” referring to the deal struck in the Turkish capital.
Tension between the two countries mounted last year after Ethiopia struck a deal with the Somali breakaway region of Somaliland to gain access to the sea.
But they announced a full restoration of diplomatic ties in January following a peace deal mediated by Türkiye the previous month.
A source in the Somali presidential palace told reporters on Feb. 26 that Abiy’s visit was “part of a broader effort to complete and implement the Ankara agreement,” referring to the deal struck in the Turkish capital.
