Ethiopia signs agreement with Somaliland paving way to sea access - BBC News

The prime minister of the landlocked country has said that sea access was an existential question.

6 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (L) signed the memorandum of understanding with Somaliland's President Muse Bihi Abdi in Addis AbabaBy Kalkidan YibeltalBBC News, Addis AbabaEthiopia has taken the first legal steps on a path that could one day enable the landlocked country to gain access to the sea, its government says.

It has signed what is known as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the self-declared republic of Somaliland to use one of its ports.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has previously described sea access as an existential issue for his country.

His statement in October prompted tensions across the Horn of Africa.

There were some fears, quickly dampened by the authorities, that this implied trying to take land from another of Ethiopia's neighbours, Eritrea.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-67858566?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

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