Context: Ethiopia has signed a deal granting it naval and commercial access to ports along Somaliland’s coast, in exchange for recognition for the breakaway republic’s independence.

About Somaliland

• Background: 
  • Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in the early 1990s, when Somalia had descended into a protracted civil war.
  • Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital, has sought international recognition for over three decades.
  • Somaliland has not gained widespread international recognition, despite declaring autonomy from Somalia in 1991. 
  • Somalia says Somaliland is part of its territory.

• Geographical Location: 

• • Region: Situated in the Horn of Africa.
    • The Horn of Africa is a region that is recognized internationally as comprising Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti. 
  • Borders: Borders Ethiopia to the south and west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, and the autonomous Puntland region of Somalia to the east.
  • Coastline: Has a long coastline along the Gulf of Aden.
  • Terrain: Features a mix of mountainous regions, plateaus, and coastal plains.

Relevance For Ethiopia

• Ethiopia is heavily reliant on Djibouti for international trade, 
  • With more than 95% passing through the Addis-Djibouti corridor, a vulnerability it has sought to mitigate by diversifying its options.
• Ethiopia lost access to its Red Sea ports in the early 1990s when Eritrean insurgents in the country’s north gained control of Ethiopia’s northern coastal region – which was a former Italian colony – and then declared independence.

News Source: TH