Ethiopia and Somalia have a historical, cultural, social and economic relation that dates back to antiquities. Despite a complex and often strained relationship, marked by periods of cooperation and conflict, the peoples of the two countries maintained long standing relations that is also explained through extensive border areas between them.
The history of both countries is closely interlinked and both countries have faced periodic attempts by the colonial forces that tried their best to balkanize Ethiopia and Somalia during the era of the Scramble
In his recent response to the questions raised by members of the HPR, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed remarked that Somalis live in three countries of the Horn of Africa including Kenya, Djibouti and the majority of those who live outside of their country live in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia has been a key player in the fight against the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab in Somalia. Ethiopian troops have been part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) since 2007, working alongside other African countries to stabilize the country and combat terrorism.
In 2012, the Federal Government of Somalia was reinstated by full backing from the government of Ethiopia and troops from other African countries under the auspices of the AU.
Ever since those days, Ethiopia was doing everything at her disposal to ascertain peace and stability in the country and to ensure the sovereignty of the nation. The peoples of Ethiopia and Somalia share common border and have lived together for ages.
In terms of cultural relations, Ethiopia has been providing scholarships to Somali citizens to help boost the skilled manpower needs of the country. Somali refugees in Ethiopia are living in freedom just like all citizens in the country. Some are even doing business to earn their lives.
Ethiopia has been a forerunner in terms of ensuring the stability of the country by deploying her defense forces against the terrorist group Al-Shabab that was destroying the statehood of the country. Prime Minister Abiy has noted that thousands of members of the defense forces have shed their blood and flesh to ensure the sovereignty, peace and territorial integrity of the country. The nation should not be accused of violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Somalia while in fact the country remains as a major advocate for peace and stability of Somalia.
Ethiopia has recently secured strategic access to the Red Sea's coasts through an agreement with Somaliland. Leasing a 20-kilometer stretch of coastline, this move is pivotal for Ethiopia, allowing diversification beyond Djibouti. Currently reliant on a single corridor for 95% of its imports and exports, this development raises crucial questions about its potential impact on global maritime trade.
The Prime Minister of Ethiopia has repeatedly stressed that the fact that Ethiopia has entered into agreement with Somaliland to secure access to the sea and port has nothing to do with any level of violation of the sovereignty of the country as several media outlets and international organizations had tried to wrongly interpret a genuine and legal quest to access outlet to the sea and secure ports.
In ordinary level of thinking, accessing to any port is purely an economic undertaking and has nothing to do with politics. The aim of those who oppose the positive and internationally recognized rights of Ethiopia to have access to ports is to see economically and politically weak Ethiopia which will be forced to live only by the donations from other countries. They conduct protracted propaganda war on their own country through social media outlets and in cooperation with international commercial media conglomerates. They try to benefit from total misinformation on the real intents of the people and government of Ethiopia in their battle against poverty and underdevelopment.
As both countries are among the less developed nations of the world, it is incumbent upon them to reverse the collusion course into mutually beneficial coalition to roll back poverty from their respective countries.
Several cross border perennial rivers connect Ethiopia and Somalia Including Genale Dawa and Juba. The Shebelle River has its headwaters in the Ethiopian Highlands and transports water and sediment 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) to the southeast across Ethiopia, before continuing an additional 130 kilometers (80 miles) into Somalia. These rivers have huge potentials for joint ventures on irrigation based commercial agriculture and agro-industrial development from which the two countries can benefit. Such potential areas of cooperation including port and energy development could set the bases for peaceful economic development between the two countries.
Despite the lack of effective national governance, Somalia maintains an informal economy largely based on livestock, remittance/money transfer companies, and telecommunications. Somalia's government lacks the ability to collect domestic revenue and external debt - mostly in arrears - was estimated at about 77% of GDP in 2017.
Agriculture is the most important sector, with livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and more than 50% of export earnings. Nomads and semi-pastoralists, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the population. Economic activity is estimated to have increased by 2.4% in 2017 because of growth in the agriculture, construction and telecommunications sector. Somalia's small industrial sector, based on the processing of agricultural products, has largely been looted and the machinery sold as scrap metal.
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Cooperation on peace and security that was started earlier need to continue as both countries are already facing threats and disruptions from coalition of international terrorist organizations and sea pirates. As Prime Minister Abiy has noted, the disruption of peace in any one of the two countries has a greater bearing on stability and security in the Horn of Africa.
Both countries need to realize the importance of resolving African problems by Africans themselves, a credo which has already been recognized by the UN on its position regarding the appeal made by the Somali Federal Government.
Ethiopia has been training Somali police and military personnel to ensure that the country can keep peace and stability for its own people. There are no tangible reason or evidence that Ethiopia could violate the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of a sisterly country.
BY SOLOMON DIBABA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2024
