Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have discussed focusing on bilateral cooperation and the deteriorating security situation in the Horn of Africa.
During a meeting in Addis Ababa on September 29, the leaders discussed “strengthening the longstanding relations between the two countries and the security and political situation in the region, particularly the importance of enhancing cooperation among regional countries to safeguard peace and stability in the Horn of Africa,” according to Somalia Today.
The one-day visit, which came at Abiy’s request and was agreed before last week’s UN General Assembly in New York, underscores renewed high-level engagement between the neighbors after a period of diplomatic tension.
The meeting takes place against a backdrop of renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia. On September 23, clashes erupted after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) seized airports in Tigray and launched attacks into Amhara and Afar, days after forming the Alliance for Survival with six other armed groups, later growing to seven, with the stated aim of overthrowing Abiy’s government.
The coalition brings together former adversaries, including the TPLF, the Amhara-based Fano militia and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), raising fears of a wider conflict in a region already affected by multiple insurgencies and inter-communal violence.
Relations between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa have improved since the December 2024 Ankara Declaration, brokered by Türkiye, under which both sides reaffirmed respect for each other’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity, and agreed to resolve differences amicably.
The deal followed a dispute over a memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland that had raised tensions over Somalia’s territorial integrity and access to the Red Sea. The US and European Union both welcomed the Ankara Declaration, urging further technical negotiations on Ethiopia’s sea access while stressing respect for Somalia’s sovereignty and encouraging deeper security cooperation, including against al‑Shabaab.
