The African Union (AU) has urged Ethiopia and Somalia to implement "without delay" an agreement aimed at ending tensions between the neighbours over Ethiopia's access to the sea, calling the deal an "important act."
The two countries have been at loggerheads since landlocked Ethiopia struck a deal in January with Somalia's breakaway region Somaliland to lease a stretch of coastline for a port and military base.
In return, Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 in a move not recognized by Mogadishu, said Ethiopia would give it formal recognition, although this was never confirmed by Addis Ababa.
Somalia branded the deal a violation of its sovereignty, setting international alarm bells ringing over the risk of renewed conflict in the volatile region.
Following hours of Turkish-brokered talks, Ankara announced late on Dec. 12 that an "historic" agreement had been reached between Somalia and Ethiopia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he believed the agreement would help Ethiopia gain its long-desired access to the sea. Technical talks are set for next year.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had flown into Ankara for the talks following two previous rounds that made little progress.
Speaking in the Turkish capital after the agreement, Mohamud said the neighbours had "mutual interests in cooperating together."
"We belong to a region where peace and stability is first priority for our people's lives," he said.
African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat stressed the "important act" taken by the leaders to find a deal but emphasized the urgency to "implement, without delay, the relevant measures adopted."
He did not give any indication in the statement, posted on social media platform X, of what measures had been agreed.
East Africa's regional bloc IGAD (the Intergovernmental Authority on Development) also welcomed the agreement as an "important step."
It "demonstrates a commitment to resolving bilateral issues amicably," IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said.
According to the text of the accord published by Türkiye, the parties agreed "to put aside differences of opinion and contentious issues, and to move resolutely forward in cooperation towards common prosperity."
They agreed to work closely together on commercial arrangements and bilateral agreements that would ensure Ethiopia's "reliable, safe and sustainable access" to the sea "under the sovereign authority of the Federal Republic of Somalia."
To that end, it said they would start technical talks no later than the end of February which would be completed "within four months", with any differences to be dealt with "through dialogue, where necessary with Türkiye's support." Daily News
