JidbaaleIstanbul— Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on X Sunday that he would visit Ethiopia and Somalia early next year after his mediation of an agreement to resolve hostilities between the two Horn of Africa nations.
He said in a statement that he would go to Ethiopia and Somalia within the first two months of the New Year, referencing the agreement made between Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Ankara on December 11.
The duo agreed to conclude their protracted and acrimonious disagreement after extensive negotiations facilitated by Erdogan, who lauded the development as “historic.”
The conflict started in January when landlocked Ethiopia entered into an agreement with Somaliland, a secessionist province of Somalia, to lease a segment of coastline for the establishment of a port and military facility.
In return, Mogadishu never acknowledged Somaliland’s 1991 declaration of independence from Somalia, which it claimed Ethiopia would recognize legally. Addis Ababa never confirmed this.
Somalia characterized the agreement as a breach of its sovereignty, raising international concerns on the potential resurgence of violence in the unstable Horn of Africa area.
Turkey intervened to mediate in July, conducting three prior rounds of discussions—two in Ankara and one in New York—culminating in this week’s significant breakthrough, which received commendation from the African Union, Washington, and Brussels.
Following his recent diplomatic achievement, Erdogan contacted Sudan’s army leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on Friday and offered to mediate in the conflicts between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates, according to his office.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been involved in a terrible struggle between army head Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the RSF.
Sudan’s army-backed government has regularly accused the UAE of backing the RSF—an accusation that the UAE has constantly refuted.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over 11 million more.
