Ethiopia's Abiy visits Mogadishu for talks with Somali president

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will arrive in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Thursday to hold discussions with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Somalia's state news agency reported, following a thawing in icy relations.

The two countries agreed to resolve tense relations in December, following Türkiye-mediated reconciliation that calmed fears of a wider regional conflict in the Horn of Africa.

Thursday's meeting will focus on enhancing security cooperation, boosting trade partnerships and deepening diplomatic ties, the state news agency said.

The relationship soured in January 2024 when Ethiopia announced plans to lease a stretch of coastline in Somalia's breakaway Somaliland region.

Naval base

Ethiopia planned to build a naval base and commercial port in exchange for possible recognition of Somaliland's independence.

Somalia accused Ethiopia of undermining its territorial integrity, threatened to eject its peacekeepers, and strengthened relations with Ethiopia's arch foes Egypt and Eritrea.

They pledged to find commercial arrangements to allow landlocked Ethiopia "reliable, secure and sustainable access to and from the sea."

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