Somaliland - The African Mirror

Apr

2024

Somalia refuses to accept Ethiopian naval base in breakaway region

SOMALIA will never accept Ethiopia's plan to build a naval base in its breakaway region of Somaliland, but would consider granting Ethiopia commercial port access if discussed bilaterally, a senior Somali official said on Friday. Landlocked Ethiopia sparked a diplomatic row with Mogadishu in January by signing a deal with Somaliland to lease 20 km (12 miles) of its coastline in return for recognising the region as an independent state. Somalia called the deal illegal as it considers Somaliland as part of its territory even though it has had effective autonomy since 1991. To defuse the acrimony, Kenya in consultation with Djibouti…

Apr

2024

By DUNCAN MIRIRI

Kenya proposes maritime treaty to defuse Ethiopia-Somalia tensions

NEWS

KENYA has proposed a regional maritime treaty to defuse tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia over a deal allowing Ethiopia to set up a naval base and giving it port access in Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland, a top Kenyan official said. Landlocked Ethiopia agreed on January 1 to lease 20 km (12 miles) of coastline in Somaliland, a part of Somalia which claims independence and has had effective autonomy since 1991, offering possible recognition of Somaliland in exchange. That prompted a defiant response from Somalia and fuelled concern the deal could further destabilise the Horn of Africa region. The treaty Kenya is…

Apr

2024

By GIULIA PARAVICINI

Somalia expels Ethiopian envoy amid naval base dispute

NEWS

SOMALIA said that it was expelling Ethiopia's ambassador, closing two Ethiopian consulates and recalling its own ambassador to Addis Ababa amid a dispute over Ethiopia's plan to build a naval base in the breakaway region of Somaliland. Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesperson Nebiyu Tedla said Ethiopia did not have any information on the matter, which was first officially announced by Somalia's prime minister's office. "This follows ... the actions of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia which infringe upon Somalia's sovereignty and internal affairs," Somalia's foreign ministry said in a statement. Somalia has given Ethiopia's ambassador 72 hours to leave the…

Jan

2024

By GIULIA PARAVICINI

How Ethiopia’s quarrel with Somalia could destabilise Horn of Africa

NEWS

ETHIOPIA'S deal to lease a port in Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland has infuriated the government in Mogadishu and prompted concern it will further destabilise the Horn of Africa region. Under a memorandum of understanding signed on January 1, landlocked Ethiopia would lease 20 km (12 miles) around Somaliland's port of Berbera for 50 years, in exchange for stakes in Ethiopian state-run companies and possible recognition as an independent nation. Somalia has responded by calling the deal an act of aggression and says it will block it. Ethiopia says it is merely striking a commercial arrangement to address a need for access to…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

President Sisi says Egypt will not allow any threat to Somalia or its security

NEWS

EGYPT will not allow any threat to Somalia, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said after Ethiopia said it would consider recognising an independence claim by Somaliland in a deal that would give it access to a seaport. The remarks were the strongest yet made on the issue by Egypt, which already has frosty relations with Ethiopia, and were a sign that Cairo may get involved in a dispute that has raised fresh tensions in the volatile Horn of Africa. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not won recognition from any country. The port lease deal, which was agreed…

Jan

2024

By ABDI SHEIKH and ABDIQANI HASSAN

Somalia rejects port deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland

NEWS

SOMALIA rejected a pact its breakaway region of Somaliland signed with Ethiopia allowing it to use a major port with access to the Red Sea in return for recognition as an independent state, saying the agreement had no legal force. Somalia, which views Somaliland as part of its territory, also summoned its ambassador to Ethiopia for deliberations over the agreement signed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somaliland leader Muse Bihi Abdi on Monday. The agreement would allow landlocked Ethiopia, which relies on neighbouring Djibouti for most of its maritime trade, to lease 20 km around the port of…

Jul

2023

By The African Mirror

Somaliland: Berbera city’s growth is being held back by a power supply monopoly

AFRICITIES

SOMALILAND’S main port, at the city of Berbera, accounted for two-thirds of the country’s revenues in 2020. Over the years, these revenues have mostly gone into the central state coffers, while the development of Berbera has been neglected. NASIR M. ALI, Lecturer of Political Science and International Relations, University of Hargeisa AYAN YUSUF ALI, Research Manager at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Hargeisa JUTTA BAKONYI, Professor in Development and Conflict, Durham University When we visited the city for our research project on port infrastructure, international politics, and everyday life, this neglect was immediately visible. Buildings in…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Somaliland agree on ceasefire

NEWS

ABDIQANI HASSAN THE administration of Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland said late it had agreed to an unconditional ceasefire, following five days of clashes in the east of the territory that health workers say have killed dozens of people. Heavy fighting broke out between Somaliland forces and militiamen in and around the town of Las Anod, the administrative centre of the Sool region, on Monday after local leaders said they wanted to rejoin federal Somalia.Advertisement · Scroll to continue Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international recognition for its status, and has faced opposition from…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

At least 20 people killed in clashes in Somaliland

NEWS

ABDIQANI HASSANI AT least 20 people have been killed in Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland in clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces over several days, according to a doctor at a public hospital. For more than a week police and the military have been battling the protesters in Laascaanood, a town in Somaliland's east which is disputed between Somaliland and neighbouring Puntland, one of Somalia's semi-autonomous regions. Mohamed Farah, a doctor at Laascaanood Hospital, a public facility in Laascaanood, told Reuters at least 20 people had been killed and dozens injured. He said he had seen the bodies of…

Aug

2022

By The African Mirror

Constant fear of eviction: how poor people experience life in Somaliland’s growing cities

AFRICITIES

MANY cities in Somaliland are growing rapidly. Climate change-induced displacement, insecurity, and population growth accelerate urbanisation. Yet, many urban residents live in dire poverty, lack adequate shelter, and have only limited access to basic infrastructures and services. Two recent research projects focused on experiences of urbanisation from the perspective of people living at the urban margins. One explored displacement and security while the other looked at infrastructure access. We found that both security and infrastructure access are deeply entangled in property relations. Property constitutes boundaries and shapes processes of inclusion and exclusion. It also influences urban experiences and differentiates city…