Somalia and Ethiopia have reached an agreement to end a bitter conflict, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey has been mediating between the two.
Erdogan calls it a “historic agreement”, he hopes it will be “the first step towards a new start based on peace and cooperation between Somalia and Ethiopia”.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud traveled to Ankara on Wednesday, after two previous rounds of talks failed to yield much progress.
The two neighboring countries have been at odds since Ethiopia – which has no coastline of its own – signed an agreement with Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland in January to lease a stretch of coastline for a port and military base in exchange for recognition – although this was never confirmed by Ethiopia.