Somalia Expels Ethiopian Ambassador: The Reason!

Two Somali officials indicated today, Thursday, that their country has expelled the Ethiopian ambassador and closed consulates in the semi-autonomous Puntland state and in the breakaway Somaliland region due to escalating tensions regarding an agreement about a port. Ethiopia, a landlocked country, agreed to a memorandum of understanding on January 1 to lease a 20-kilometer coastal strip in Somaliland, a northern area that Somalia claims as part of its territory even though it has enjoyed de facto autonomy since 1991. Ethiopia stated that it wants to establish a naval base there and offered potential recognition of Somaliland in return, which was rejected by Mogadishu and raised concerns that the agreement could further destabilize the Horn of Africa region.