MOGADISHU, Somalia — An Ethiopian delegation, led by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mesganu Arga and Defense Minister Aisha Mohammed Musse, arrived in Mogadishu on December 11, 2024, to engage in discussions regarding the implementation of the Ankara agreement. The visit occurs amidst uncertainties about the role of Ethiopian troops in the newly established African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
This diplomatic mission follows a reciprocal visit last month by Somalia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Baldad and the Commander of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), Sanbloolshe, to Addis Ababa, aimed at mending relations that had deteriorated after Ethiopia’s controversial maritime deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland last year. Somalia has staunchly opposed this agreement, viewing it as a breach of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Ethiopia, one of Africa’s most populous countries and landlocked, is seeking legal access to the sea, with talks now focused on negotiations with Somalia’s federal government, which has rejected any maritime arrangements involving Somaliland.
The presence of Aisha Mohammed Musse in the delegation also underscores the critical discussions about the future of Ethiopian military personnel in Somalia, whose mandate ended on December 31, 2024, leaving their continued deployment in question.
The geopolitical context is complicated by Egypt’s growing military engagement in Somalia, which Ethiopia views with apprehension due to ongoing tensions over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a project costing Ethiopia $5 billion, exacerbating long-standing disputes over Nile River water rights.
