Ethiopia ambassador to Somalia issues apology following news of possible expulsion and increased tensions over Somaliland

Ethiopian Ambassador to Somalia, Muktar Mohamed Ware, issued an apology on Sunday following reports of his possible dismissal over remarks he made regarding the country in an interview with Ethiopian local media. Ware reportedly said that Somalia is a nation “created by colonialists” and that “Somaliland is an independent country which has both de facto and juridical authority to sign international agreements.” He apologised on X (formerly Twitter) to the government and republic of Somalia, stating that his words were “misguided, and never intended to harm our relationship.” As Ware expressed his regret and commitment to strengthen the ties between both countries, it now appears that his expulsion will not occur.

Ethiopia signed a Memorandum understanding (MoU) on January 2, 2024 with the government of Somaliland which will grant Ethiopia access to the Gulf of Aden in exchange for Ethiopia’s recognition of Somaliland’s independence from Somalia. The agreement rests on a wide-scope of cooperation including social, economic, political and military fields, and has fueled tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia. Somalia still considers Somaliland as part of its territory. The Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signed a law to nullify the MoU, stating that the law will strengthen the government’s “commitment to safeguard our unity, sovereignty & territorial integrity as per international law”.

The Somali government condemned Ethiopia for signing the MoU. The country recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia for consultation as it deemed the move to be a violation of Somalia’s territorial integrity and further declared the agreement to be void. President Mohamud recently warned Ethiopia in an interview with Al Jazeera that “This is a piece of land that belongs to Somalia and [we] will never yield to whatever pressure that comes on it”.

Somaliland declared itself as an independent republic in 1991 following the still ongoing civil war in the south of Somalia, which broke out in the 1980s. After the announcement of the agreement between the Somaliland and Ethiopia, several countries including the US and the UK expressed their support for Somalia and their recognition of the country in its 1960 borders, urging Ethiopia to respect Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.