MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somaliland's defense minister has resigned to protest his government signing an agreement to allow landlocked Ethiopia to access Somaliland's coastline.

"The relationship between Somalia and Ethiopia, that is their business. We are minding our own business," Somaliland's special envoy to the African Union, Abdulahi Mohammud, told DW.

Under the Somaliland deal, Ethiopia will take a 50-year lease of the Berbera Port, affording Addis Ababa 20km (12.5 miles) of the Red Sea coastline for commercial marine operations and a naval base.

Recognizing Somaliland is more than a moral imperative for the United States. It is also a strategic opportunity.

Last week, a US Congressman introduced the ‘Somaliland Independence Act’ to congress, potentially bringing Washington one ...

Somaliland declared itself an independent state in 1991. It used colonial boundary lines to separate itself from Somalia. More than three decades l. Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT.

In return, Ethiopia would become the first country to formally recognize Somaliland’s independence. Somalia says the deal infringes on its sovereignty and territory.

Under President Joe Biden both Ethiopia and Somaliland have been under heavy pressure from America to kill the deal. But both expect Donald Trump’s administration to be more accommodating.

12/16/2024 December 16, 2024. Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland says its deal to give Ethiopia access to the Red Sea in exchange for recognition as an independent state still stands.