A law has been signed by Somalia's President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, nullifying an agreement between the breakaway region of Somaliland and Ethiopia regarding access to the former's coastline.

The agreement between Ethiopia and the breakaway region grants the former naval and commercial ports access in exchange for recognition of Somaliland's independence. Importantly, the pact gives landlocked Ethiopia long-sought port access to the Red Sea through Somalia's northwestern coastline, which is controlled by the Somaliland government.

Inking a law that stresses the illegality of the move by the Somalian presidency, has little to no material effect, as the separatist government exercises relatively complete control over a large part of the region.

However, the President stressed that the passage of the bill "is an illustration of our commitment to safeguard our unity, sovereignty & territorial integrity as per international law."

This evening,I signed the law nullifying the illegal MoU between the Gov’t of Ethiopia & Somaliland. With the support of our lawmakers & our people, this law is an illustration of our commitment to safeguard our unity, sovereignty & territorial integrity as per international law. pic.twitter.com/UajOPm2qVB

— Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (@HassanSMohamud) January 6, 2024

History of issues

The memorandum of understanding awards Ethiopia access to commercial maritime services and a military base, as the breakaway government would lease 20 km of its coastline for 50 years. Ethiopia is one of the world's biggest landlocked nations, and had previously had access to the Red Sea, before Eritrea seceded and declared its independence in 1993.

Since then, Ethiopia has largely depended on Djibouti, as a transit country to complete maritime trade.

VIDEO: #Ethiopia will be the first country to recognise #Somaliland as an independent nation and we will be 1st state to realise Addis Ababa its dreams for sea access, said Muse Bihi. The MoU paves the way to allowing Ethiopia to have commercial marine operations in the region by… pic.twitter.com/MzUD4FF4VG

— GAROWE ONLINE (@GaroweOnline) January 1, 2024

Somalia has vowed to oppose the agreement via legal means, and has called the act an act of aggression that violated its sovereignty, appealing for international support.

After the deal was announced on January 1, Abdikarim Hussein Guled, Somalia's special envoy to Somaliland, criticized the new agreement with Ethiopia, stating that it represented Ethiopia's "blatant disregard for international norms" and undermined previous progress made between Hargeisa and Mogadishu.

It is worth noting that although the deal came under the pretext of Ethiopia's recognition of Somaliland's independence, the government in Addis Ababa has not formerly done so. Additionally, the statement released by the two governments did not explicitly mention the recognition of Somaliland. 

Read more: Black Hawk Down: America's history in reviving wars in Somalia