JidbaaleThe Federal Government of Somalia has issued a strong denunciation of Ethiopia, alleging that its neighbor is illicitly trafficking guns into Somalia’s Puntland area, which development authorities assert jeopardizes national security and infringes on Somalia’s sovereignty.
On Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said that two trucks with weapons entered Puntland from Ethiopia without any official notification or authorization. The Ministry cautioned that this move is a significant violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and has major ramifications for both national and regional security.
Somalia said that this was not an unusual occurrence, highlighting that prior shipments of illicit guns had infiltrated the nation via other entry routes, including air deliveries to Baidoa in the Southwest regional state. The Ministry said, “These repeated actions demonstrate a persistent violation of Somalia’s sovereignty,” and called for an immediate cessation of Ethiopia’s efforts.
The Somali government implored Ethiopia to terminate its illicit actions and appealed to regional and international allies to condemn the trafficking of arms into its territory. “We call upon our regional and international partners to reinforce our collective efforts to uphold peace and stability in the region,” the statement read.
Although Ethiopian authorities have not yet commented on these recent charges, their Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned prior assertions as “baseless” in a statement on July 26. The declaration came after a report from the Somali government on July 16, indicating that its security forces had confiscated two truckloads of weapons trafficked over the border by “illicit arms dealers.”
Recent Ethiopian military operations in Somalia have further strained ties between the two countries. In recent months, Ethiopian military forces have repeatedly entered Somalia’s Hiiraan area under the pretext of combating al-Shabaab threats. These raids, executed without official cooperation with Somali authorities, have provoked conflicts with local security personnel. Somalia’s UN envoy, Abukar Dahir Osman, formally protested to the United Nations Security Council about the troop movements, which have become a key factor in delaying the withdrawal of African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) forces, which were initially planned for July but postponed to September due to these tensions. Ethiopian authorities have failed to issue a formal response, heightening diplomatic tensions.
The Somali government has adopted a tough position against Ethiopian participation in the planned African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), citing Ethiopia’s disputed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Somaliland. Signed in early 2024, the MoU grants Ethiopia access to 20 kilometers of the Red Sea coastline in return for possible recognition of Somaliland’s independence—a pact Mogadishu has ruled unconstitutional. Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has openly warned that Ethiopian soldiers would not be welcome in the new peacekeeping operation until Ethiopia annuls the deal with Somaliland.
Somalia has made several diplomatic efforts to assert its sovereignty in light of increasing tensions with Ethiopia, garnering support from international bodies such as the United Nations and the Arab League, both of which have reaffirmed Somalia’s territorial integrity and called for peaceful resolutions to the disputes stemming from Ethiopia’s actions.
