Ethiopia’s Contentious Port Deal Throws Volatile Horn of Africa Into Uncertainty

Somalia claims move is a gross violation of its sovereignty; breakaway Somaliland says it has the U.N.-enshrined right to independence.

The Lebanese-flagged bulk carrier Brave Commander leaves the sea port of Pivdennyi with wheat for Ethiopia after restarting grain export from Odesa, Ukraine, on Aug. 16, 2022. Igor Tkachenko/Reuters

YAOUNDE, Cameroon—Ethiopia, Somalia, and Somaliland have been plunged into an abyss of demonstrations and counterdemonstrations following the signing on Jan. 1 of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Addis Ababa and Somaliland granting Ethiopia access to the Red Sea.

The deal is in return for international recognition for Somaliland.