Ethiopia signs an agreement with Somaliland that paves the way for access to the sea

Its government said Ethiopia had taken the first legal steps on a path that could one day enable the landlocked country to access the sea.

It signed what is known as a memorandum of understanding with the unilaterally declared Republic of Somaliland to use one of its ports.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed previously described access to the sea as an existential issue for his country.

His statement in October sparked tensions across the Horn of Africa.

There were some fears, which were quickly dispelled by the authorities, that this implied an attempt to seize land from another country neighboring Ethiopia, Eritrea.

Details of Monday's agreement with Somaliland have not been announced, but a statement from Abiy's office said it “will pave the way for achieving Ethiopia's aspirations to secure access to the sea.” The talks that preceded the memorandum of understanding focused on the port of Berbera in Somaliland.

A memorandum of understanding is not legally binding, although it is considered a statement of intent and can lead to a treaty that imposes obligations on the parties that sign it.

However, Addis Ababa portrays this development as a major diplomatic victory.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Mr Abdi said the agreement included a clause stating that Ethiopia would recognize Somaliland as an independent state at some point in the future.

The Somaliland Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Later, “the historic agreement guarantees Ethiopia’s access to the sea for its naval forces, in exchange for official recognition of the Republic of Somaliland, which represents an important diplomatic milestone for our country.”

It quoted Abdi as saying that the recognition came in exchange for “the Ethiopian naval forces' access to the sea for a distance of 20 kilometers leased for 50 years.”

Ethiopia did not comment on this aspect of the deal.

Somaliland separated from Somalia more than 30 years ago, but has not been recognized by the African Union or the United Nations as an independent country.

There was no response to the announcement from Somalia, which considers Somaliland part of its territory. But national broadcaster SNTV reported that there will be an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss the issue.

Ethiopia lost its access to the sea when Eritrea seceded in the early 1990s. With a population of more than 100 million, it is the most populous landlocked country in the world.

Until now, Ethiopia uses the port in neighboring Djibouti for the vast majority of its imports and exports.

In 2018, Ethiopia and Somaliland signed a deal that was supposed to result in Addis Ababa owning a 19% stake in the port of Berbera, with UAE logistics company DP World retaining a 51% stake.

But this failed in 2022 as “Ethiopia failed to meet the necessary conditions to acquire the stake before the deadline,” authorities in Somaliland reportedly said at the time.