NAIROBI: Somalia has accused neighboring Ethiopia of supplying weapons to its northeastern Puntland region, which this year unilaterally declared it would act as an independent state despite protests from the central government.
There is a history of stormy relations between Ethiopia and Somalia — a fragile jigsaw of federal states whose instability weakens the central government’s ability to counter a long-running insurgency by militant group Al-Shabab.
Tensions between the Horn of Africa countries increased on Jan. 1, when Addis Ababa signed a deal with another northern region of Somalia — the breakaway territory of Somaliland — giving landlocked Ethiopia long-sought-after ocean access.
“Somalia strongly condemns unauthorized arms shipments from Ethiopia to Somalia’s Puntland region, violating our sovereignty and threatening regional security,” the Foreign Ministry in Mogadishu said.
“We demand an immediate halt and call on international partners to support peace efforts in the Horn of Africa.”
Somaliland is located between the Ethiopian border and Puntland.
The latter, a semi-autonomous part of Somalia since 1998, said it would operate as an independent state in January due to a row with the central government over constitutional changes.
In its post on X, the Somali Foreign Ministry said: “Documented evidence confirms the arrival of two lorries transporting weapons from Ethiopia to the Puntland region of Somalia, executed without any diplomatic engagement or clearance.”
“This activity constitutes a grave infringement on Somalia’s sovereignty and poses serious implications for national and regional security.”
It did not say when the shipment occurred or to whom the weapons were sent.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under the January deal, Somaliland, which unilaterally broke away from Somalia in 1991, agreed to lease 20 km of its coast for 50 years to Ethiopia, which wants to set up a naval base and a commercial port.
In return, Somaliland — whose independence is not endorsed by Mogadishu — has said Ethiopia would become the first country in the world to give it formal recognition, although Addis Ababa has not confirmed these assertions.
Senior officials in Mogadishu have said this agreement means thousands of Ethiopian soldiers stationed in Somalia to fight Al-Shabab will now have to leave.
The troops are deployed on Somali territory under a bilateral accord and an agreement with the African Union.
On Aug.14, Mogadishu signed a military pact with Ethiopia’s rival Egypt, which has offered to join the AU force in Somalia in 2025.
Turkiye has been mediating between Somalia and Ethiopia since July in discussions to resolve their differences.
Two rounds of talks in Ankara failed to produce tangible progress, and a third round, scheduled for last week, was canceled without any comment from either the host or the protagonists.
