” Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was greeted by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Thursday for discussions intended to strengthen their relations.“
Hostilities between the adjacent nations escalated last year when landlocked Ethiopia secured an agreement to rent a section of coastline from Somaliland, a self-declared region of Somalia.
Ethiopia intended to construct a naval base and a trading port in return for a potential acknowledgment of Somaliland’s independence.
Mogadishu was outraged by the pact, blaming Addis Ababa for compromising its territorial integrity.
After discussions facilitated by Turkey in December, the two nations promised to establish a solution for Ethiopia’s access to and from the sea.
Mohamud subsequently traveled to Ethiopia in early 2025.
Thursday’s talks centered on a variety of bilateral matters from trade to security as the two leaders strive to normalize relations.
Just prior to the Ethiopian leader’s arrival, shells were launched in the Somali capital, although it remains uncertain whether the assault was linked to his trip.
The security conditions in Somalia are extremely unstable, with the Islamist group al-Shabaab operating within its borders.
