Somalia has rejected Ethiopiaโs request to participate in an upcoming multinational military exercise in Somali territorial waters, citing violations of international law and the countryโs sovereign maritime rights.
Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi said the Somali government issued an official objection after Ethiopia formally expressed interest in joining the coastal drill during a recent summit of East African foreign ministers held in Addis Ababa.
โWe cannot allow a landlocked nation to operate in our waters,โ Fiqi said. โSomalia maintains full sovereignty over its land, sea, and airspace. Any unauthorized involvement by Ethiopia in maritime drills violates international maritime law and our national regulations.โ
Ethiopia proposed contributing naval personnel to the AUโled AUSSOM peacekeeping mission during the EASF summit in Mogadishu. The initiative was seen by Somali officials as a replay of its broader maritime ambitions tied to the earlier Somaliland navalโbase memorandum.
Fiqi emphasized that landlocked states have no legal grounds to operate in the waters of another nation without formal approval, which Somalia has not granted. โThere is no precedent or legal framework that allows this kind of involvement,โ he said.
This latest dispute unfolds against the backdrop of a diplomatic crisis triggered by a January 1, 2024, memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Ethiopia and Somaliland. Under the deal, Somalilandโa self-declared republic not internationally recognizedโagreed to lease a 20-kilometre stretch of coastline near Berbera to Ethiopia for the development of a naval base. In return, Ethiopia signalled symbolic recognition of Somalilandโs independence, prompting sharp condemnation from Mogadishu.
Somalia denounced the MoU as a violation of its territorial integrity and recalled its ambassador from Addis Ababa, expelling Ethiopiaโs ambassador in Mogadishu soon after. The Somali Parliament later voted to nullify the agreement, while President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called it โan act of aggression.โ
Despite being landlocked since Eritreaโs independence in 1993, Ethiopia has made several attempts in recent years to secure access to the sea through agreements with Djibouti, Sudan, and Somalilandโmoves that Somali officials have criticized as bypassing Somaliaโs territorial integrity and international norms.
Although Ethiopia lacks a coastline, it has been rebuilding its naval capacity as part of a broader strategy to project power in the region. Somalia, however, views such maneuvers as part of a creeping expansionism that undermines its sovereignty.
Regional analysts warn that the latest military standoff could strain already fragile diplomatic ties between the Horn of Africa neighbours and reignite long-standing tensions over Ethiopiaโs maritime ambitions.
The planned coastal drill will move forward without Ethiopiaโs participation, according to Somali defence officials, who said only fully authorized partners will be involved in the operation.
