World · Somalia, Ethiopia
Somalia says Ethiopia must negotiate port access
Somalian President says Ethiopia can use Somali territory for Red Sea access but only through official talks.
Somalia allows Ethiopian Red Sea access only via negotiation; Ethiopia insists on maritime outlet as national priority.
- Somalia says Ethiopia must negotiate for port access
- Abiy Ahmed sworn in for second term as PM
- Ethiopia seeks Red Sea access via Somali territory
- Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia met to assert coastal control
- Djibouti remains Ethiopia’s main trade route
What's new
- Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Ethiopia needs to negotiate for port access
- Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said Red Sea talks must include its legitimate interests
- Four Red Sea-bordering states met in Egypt to assert coastal oversight rights
Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud stated that while Somalia has no objection to Ethiopia using its territory to reach the Red Sea, any such access must be established through formal negotiations between the two nations.2
Ethiopia’s position
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has maintained that his landlocked nation requires Red Sea access, and his government emphasized that any talks must consider Ethiopia’s rightful interests and longstanding ties to the waterway.24
Regional context
On Sunday in Egypt’s New Alamein, four of the five Red Sea coastal nations–Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia–gathered to assert that control over the coastline belongs exclusively to states that border the sea.2
Why it matters
Ethiopia’s pursuit of maritime access could shift regional alliances and influence global shipping routes.2
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Version history
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