MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro departed Tuesday for the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, leading a high-level delegation for bilateral talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The delegation, which includes senior cabinet ministers and top security officials, left from Egal International Airport in Hargeisa for what is expected to be a multi-day official visit. The trip follows a formal invitation extended by the Ethiopian government, according to Somaliland’s state broadcaster.
The visit comes at a sensitive time in regional diplomacy. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also traveled to Ethiopia earlier this week in an apparent attempt to dissuade Addis Ababa from proceeding with the Somaliland engagement. However, sources familiar with the visit say that Ethiopian officials engaged President Hassan primarily in ceremonial events, including a full-day tour of Ethiopia’s national museum, while sidestepping his request to halt the talks with the Somaliland leadership.
The diplomatic maneuvering follows a controversial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed nearly two years ago between Ethiopia and Somaliland. Under the agreement, Somaliland granted Ethiopia access to a portion of its coastline along the Red Sea to build a naval base. The deal sparked a strong backlash from the Somali federal government, which denounced it as a clear violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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