On Thursday, February 27, 2025, Abiy Ahmed, the Ethiopian Prime Minister, visited Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia in the hopes of meeting with its president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The two countries have been moving towards warmer relations since January 2024, when Ethiopia decided to lease out some coastline territory and build a naval base in Somalia in exchange for the recognition of Somaliland as an independent state. Due to this, Somalia has claimed that Ethiopia was undermining its territorial integrity and has threatened to throw out Ethiopian peacekeepers. Somalia also made better connections with Ethiopia’s rivals, Egypt and Eritrea. Somalia and Ethiopia have agreed to rebuild connections in December 2024 and to give Ethiopia a safe route to the sea. On the tarmac of the Mogadishu Airport, Ahmed and Mohamud smiled and shook hands, surrounded by both flags. Right before Ahmed’s flight landed, at least one mortar shell hit the Mogadishu Airport.
This article is important because it shows why the meeting of Ethiopia and Somalia is vital to the region. While the countries have been struggling with instability, Somalia has been fighting to keep Somaliland from becoming recognized. This article reflects that if Somaliland is recognized, it will give Ethiopia easy access to the sea and control over the supposed country by funding it.
I think that Ethiopia should be open to all ideas that Somalia has since they are the only country that can give Ethiopia access to the sea without the need to recognize Somaliland. Ethiopia does not want Somalia to become better friends with Egypt and Eritrea. Somalia should be wary of Ethiopia’s plans to get Somaliland’s recognition as Ethiopia will support them so that they will become a puppet state and not only give Ethiopia access to the coast but also put more separation between Somalia and its allies.
This article directly connects to what we are learning in class by discussing non-armed conflicts. Ethiopia and Somalia were having a non-armed diplomatic conflict as their diplomats were having disputes and did not come to an agreement, which caused them to have distant relations in 2024 and created tension between the two countries, forcing them to compete.