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Somalia reaffirms Ethiopia's exclusion from AUSSOM mission over Somaliland MoU
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    Saturday October 5, 2024

    Mogadishu (HOL) – Somali Defense Minister Abdukhadir Mohamed Noor reiterated on Saturday that Ethiopian forces would not participate in the upcoming African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) unless Ethiopia withdraws from the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Somaliland.

    Speaking to the media in Mogadishu, Minister Noor clarified that the Somali government is exploring alternative options to replace Ethiopian troops in the mission if the MoU is not retracted.

    "If Ethiopia does not withdraw from its so-called MoU agreement with Somaliland, its forces will not be part of the upcoming operation," Noor stated.

    This stance echoes Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre's remarks from August 2024, where he also urged Ethiopia to rescind the MoU with Somaliland and confirmed Ethiopia's exclusion from AUSSOM.

    This week, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ahmed Moalim Fiqi accused the Ethiopian government of leveraging counter-terrorism efforts as a pretext for annexing Somali territory. He stated that Somali authorities had intercepted illegal arms shipments from Ethiopia intended to fuel local conflicts, calling these actions a "blatant violation" of Somalia's sovereignty.

    Relations have been strained since Ethiopia signed the MoU with Somaliland on January 1, 2024. The agreement granted Ethiopia sea access and included provisions for establishing a military base in Somaliland—moves the Somali government views as encroaching on its territorial integrity.

     





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