𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐢 𝐀𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐬.

Ethiopia has reached an agreement with Somaliland to utilize one of its ports, clearing the path for the country to have access to the sea. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has previously defined sea access as an existential problem that is fueling tensions around the Horn of Africa. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has warned his neighbors that the country faces conflict if it does not gain direct access to the Red Sea.Somalia, Eritrea, and Djibouti have all expressed alarm. The dispute with Tigray has tarnished Abiy’s reputation as a man of peace, and he feels that a fight over access to a port would bury his country. Most of Ethiopia’s trade currently transits the port in Djibouti, and his words appear to be an unwise course for him in a neighborhood rife with war for decades. The agreement aims to provide Ethiopia access to a leased military outpost on the sea. Ethiopia will recognize Somaliland as an independent entity in the future, according to the deal. According to Somaliland’s foreign ministry, the historic deal guarantees Ethiopian naval forces access to the sea, which is repaid by formal recognition of the Republic of Somaliland. The arrangement is in exchange for a 50-year lease on 20 kilometers of sea access for Ethiopian naval troops. The African Union and the United Nations do not recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state. Ethiopia’s economy has been hampered by a lack of access to the Red Sea, a short swath of water that connects Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and leads to the Suez Canal and Europe. The agreement comes months after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared the country’s right to reach the Red Sea, causing worry among its neighbors.

The AU will very certainly try to persuade Somalia not to impose punitive measures such as economic sanctions or restrictions. The diplomatic issue may also restrict collaboration, which might be detrimental in the campaign against al Shabaab, particularly with their subsequent collaborations with houthis in the Red Sea-Bab al Mandib straits.

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