Somalia has accused Ethiopia of sending troops to the border town of Doolow in its Gedo region, despite negotiations well underway to ease tensions between the two Horn neighbours.
There is no independent confirmation of this reported troop invasion, which Somalia described as a blatant act of aggression.
There were similar reports of Ethiopian troops crossing into Doolow in November.
Somalia had vowed in the past to defend ‘every inch’ of its territory against any foreign military infiltration, leaving questions over whether the two countries are barreling toward an open armed conflict.
Mogadishu’s latest allegation came a few hours after Somalia announced a visit by a delegation led by foreign affairs minister Ali Omar to Addis Ababa Monday to reinforce commitments toward easing tension with Ethiopia as outlined in the Ankara Declaration.
In a statement after the announcement, however, the Somali foreign affairs ministry claimed the attack on Doolow occurred at approximately 10:00 am local time on Monday.
Somalia further claimed Ethiopian forces reportedly targeted three key bases operated by the Somali National Army (SNA), the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), and the Somali Police Force.
“Ethiopian forces launched an unprovoked and unexpected attack, causing fatalities and injuries among Somali personnel and civilians,” the statement said.
It expressed dismay at the timing of the incident, which coincided with ongoing peace efforts by officials of both sides brokered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Prior to this turn of events, Ethiopia had in principle expressed its willingness to withdraw from or at least pause its controversial naval base agreement with Somalia’s breakaway region following talks in Ankara between Somali President Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmad earlier this month.
“This aggression comes as Somalia is actively pursuing peacebuilding under the Ankara Declaration,” Somalia said, adding that “a high-level Somali delegation was dispatched to Addis Abeba just today to further these efforts.”
“This attack is a clear breach of the Ankara Declaration, the principles of the African Union, the Charter of the United Nations, and the norms of good neighbourly relations,” Somalia further said.
The Ethiopian government has not reacted to the latest allegations from Somalia, with whom relations have been strained since Addis Ababa’s controversial deal with the breakaway enclave of Somaliland for access to a Red Sea port.
In exchange for the port access deal, Ethiopia was expected to recognise Somaliland as an independent nation.
Somalia still regards Somaliland as its territory. which the international community also recognises.
Tensions between the two horn neighbours had prompted Somalia to seek allies abroad, signing a defense pact with Egypt which has since dispatched military hardware and ground troops.
Ethiopia had contributed troops to a hybrid African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, but the officials in Mogadishu are determined that its neighbour does not provide soldiers for a new mission to the country.
