NAIROBI: The Ethiopian government on Wednesday defended a controversial deal with the breakaway Somali region of Somaliland, saying no laws have been transgressed.
The agreement — which gives landlocked Ethiopia long-sought access to the Red Sea — has been condemned by the government in Mogadishu as an “aggression” and a “blatant assault” on its sovereignty.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, a move not recognized internationally and staunchly opposed by Mogadishu although in reality the central government exercises little authority over the region’s affairs.
The memorandum of understanding signed in Addis Ababa on Monday gives Ethiopia a military base and access to commercial maritime services on the Red Sea.
Somaliland’s president Muse Bihi Abdi said in a statement that in exchange, Ethiopia would “formally recognize” Somaliland, a former British protectorate of about 4.5 million people.
But the Ethiopian government has not confirmed this.
In a statement on Wednesday it said the deal “includes provisions for the Ethiopian government to make an in-depth assessment toward taking a position regarding the efforts of Somaliland to gain recognition.”
The deal has infuriated the government in Mogadishu, which has vowed to defend its territory “by any legal means” and also recalled its ambassador in Ethiopia.
But the Ethiopian statement said: “No party or country will be affected by this MOU. There is no broken trust nor is there any laws that have been transgressed.”
It said that even though Somaliland has not been fully recognized, it has nevertheless signed agreements with various countries, including for port development.
“Yet there has been no murmur or complaint when this materialized,” it added.
The deal was signed several months after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his country, Africa’s second most populous, would assert its right to access the Red Sea, sparking concerns among its neighbors.
Ethiopia was cut off from the coast after Eritrea seceded and declared independence in 1993 following a three-decade war.
Addis Ababa had maintained access to a port in Eritrea until the two countries went to war in 1998-2000, and since then Ethiopia funnels most of its trade through Djibouti.
Ethiopia’s economy has been constrained by its lack of maritime access, and the Berbera port in Somaliland offers a gateway to the Red Sea and further north to the Suez Canal.
![]()
Ethiopia defends sea access deal with Somaliland
Short Url
https://arab.news/67xk7
Ethiopia defends sea access deal with Somaliland
- Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, a move not recognized internationally and staunchly opposed by Mogadishu although in reality the central government exercises little authority over the region’s affairs
Beijing protests ‘political’ UK sanctions on Chinese cyber firms
BEIJING: Beijing denounced on Wednesday British sanctions on two Chinese companies which London alleged were involved in cyber activities against Britain, saying the measure amounted to “political manipulation” of security issues.
The British Foreign Office sanctioned on Tuesday Chinese-based companies i-Soon and Integrity Technology Group “for their vast and indiscriminate cyberactivities against the UK and its allies,” according to London’s top diplomat Yvette Cooper.
Several Russian entities were also sanctioned over accusations of distorting information in favor of Moscow.
Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular press conference that “China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the UK’s practice of using cybersecurity issues for political manipulation.”
The government had lodged “stern representations” with British representatives in Beijing and London, Guo said.
A British Foreign Office policy paper released alongside the list of new sanctions said that cyber and information warfare was posing an increasing threat.
Foreign Secretary Cooper said that the activities London accuses i-Soon and Integrity of conducting “impact our collective security and our public services, yet those responsible operate with little regard for who or what they target.”
“And so we are ensuring that such reckless activity does not go unchecked,” she said.
- ‘Hybrid threats’ -
“Across Europe, we are witnessing an escalation in hybrid threats — from physical through to cyber and information warfare — designed to destabilize our democracies, weaken our critical national infrastructure, and undermine our interests, all for the advantage of malign foreign states,” said the Foreign Office policy paper paper.
Among the entities hit by the new sanctions is Russian media outlet Rybar “whose Telegram channel and network of affiliates in 28 languages reaches millions worldwide,” said Cooper.
It used “classic Kremlin manipulation tactics, including fake ‘investigations’ and AI driven content to shape narratives about global events in the Kremlin’s favor,” she added.
“Masquerading as an independent body,” Rybar is partially funded by Russia’s presidential administration, receives funding from state corporations and has worked with Russian intelligence, she said.
Also sanctioned is the Pravfond Foundation, which has been accused of being a front for Russian GRU foreign intelligence agency.
“Leaked reports suggest that Pravfond finances the promotion of Kremlin narratives to Western audiences as well as bankrolling legal defenses for convicted Russian assassins and arms traffickers,” Cooper said.
Alexander Dugin, a nationalist Russian philosopher widely thought to have influenced much of President Vladimir Putin’s thinking, was also sanctioned along with his think tank, the Center for Geopolitical Expertise.
Dugin has most notably championed “neo-Eurasianism,” a doctrine that says Russia must liberate the world from Western excesses by building an empire stretching from Europe to Asia.
The British Foreign Office sanctioned on Tuesday Chinese-based companies i-Soon and Integrity Technology Group “for their vast and indiscriminate cyberactivities against the UK and its allies,” according to London’s top diplomat Yvette Cooper.
Several Russian entities were also sanctioned over accusations of distorting information in favor of Moscow.
Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular press conference that “China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the UK’s practice of using cybersecurity issues for political manipulation.”
The government had lodged “stern representations” with British representatives in Beijing and London, Guo said.
A British Foreign Office policy paper released alongside the list of new sanctions said that cyber and information warfare was posing an increasing threat.
Foreign Secretary Cooper said that the activities London accuses i-Soon and Integrity of conducting “impact our collective security and our public services, yet those responsible operate with little regard for who or what they target.”
“And so we are ensuring that such reckless activity does not go unchecked,” she said.
- ‘Hybrid threats’ -
“Across Europe, we are witnessing an escalation in hybrid threats — from physical through to cyber and information warfare — designed to destabilize our democracies, weaken our critical national infrastructure, and undermine our interests, all for the advantage of malign foreign states,” said the Foreign Office policy paper paper.
Among the entities hit by the new sanctions is Russian media outlet Rybar “whose Telegram channel and network of affiliates in 28 languages reaches millions worldwide,” said Cooper.
It used “classic Kremlin manipulation tactics, including fake ‘investigations’ and AI driven content to shape narratives about global events in the Kremlin’s favor,” she added.
“Masquerading as an independent body,” Rybar is partially funded by Russia’s presidential administration, receives funding from state corporations and has worked with Russian intelligence, she said.
Also sanctioned is the Pravfond Foundation, which has been accused of being a front for Russian GRU foreign intelligence agency.
“Leaked reports suggest that Pravfond finances the promotion of Kremlin narratives to Western audiences as well as bankrolling legal defenses for convicted Russian assassins and arms traffickers,” Cooper said.
Alexander Dugin, a nationalist Russian philosopher widely thought to have influenced much of President Vladimir Putin’s thinking, was also sanctioned along with his think tank, the Center for Geopolitical Expertise.
Dugin has most notably championed “neo-Eurasianism,” a doctrine that says Russia must liberate the world from Western excesses by building an empire stretching from Europe to Asia.
Latest updates
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.