Leader of Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland says deal with Ethiopia will allow it to build a naval base

By OMAR FARUK
Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The president of Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland has said his government will press ahead with an agreement signed earlier this month with landlocked Ethiopia to give it access to the sea. The deal has been condemned by regional and international groups, as well as Western countries, which say it interferes with Somalia’s territorial integrity and could threaten stability in the Horn of Africa. Somaliland’s President Muse Bihi Abdi spoke about the Jan. 1 deal he signed with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in an interview with Somaliland National Television on Wednesday. He said Ethiopia is seeking to lease a segment of the coastline for a naval base — and not for commercial activities as previously thought.