Arab League to set up emergency meeting over Somalia-Ethiopia tensions

(MENAFN) The Arab League announced on Sunday its decision to convene an emergency virtual ministerial meeting to address escalating tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia.

Arab League Deputy Secretary-General Hossam Zaki disclosed that the meeting is scheduled for January 17, and it will specifically focus on the repercussions of what is deemed an "unlawfully" signed agreement between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland in Somalia.

This agreement grants operational privileges to Addis Ababa in the Red Sea area of northwest Somalia.

The meeting, presided over by Morocco, was called upon at the request of Somalia and garnered support from 12 Arab countries.

Zaki emphasized the full consensus and backing of Somalia's position within the Arab League. Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre declared the memorandum of understanding (MoU) as "invalid" and issued a stern warning to Ethiopia against any intervention in Somali territories.

In response to Ethiopia's recent maritime agreement with Somaliland, the Somali government took diplomatic action by recalling its ambassador from Ethiopia.

Several Arab League member countries, including Egypt, openly rejected the agreement, expressing solidarity with Somalia's sovereignty over its territories.

Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, granted Ethiopia usage rights along its shores for both commercial and military purposes through the MoU signed on January 1, encompassing the strategically important Red Sea port of Berbera.

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