Ethiopia's embattled prime minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali has announced that Ethiopia would seek access to a seaport for its landlocked nation home to 120 m
Ethiopia’s embattled prime minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali has announced that Ethiopia would seek access to a seaport for its landlocked nation home to 120 million people, either through negotiations or force.
These comments came during a meeting with local business elite in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, according to media reports emerging from the Horn of Africa nation.
This has led to growing concerns in the region of a full blown conflict between Ethiopia and some of its neighbors, which could plunge the already volatile region into more instability.
Ethiopia lost access to the sea in 1991 when Eritrea declared independence. This led to Ethiopia’s navy disbanding and the country becoming officially landlocked.
Its very clear that Ethiopia will be unlikely to access a seaport through negotiations as the country has nothing of benefit to offer its neighbors, which leaves military force as the only option.
Fears are growing that Ethiopia will use military force to invade and annex parts of Northern Somalia’s Awdal region in a bid to seize the coastal town of Saylac.
This appears the only option available for Ethiopia as the Somaliland administration has proven itself to be a paper tiger and authorities in Hargeisa are already bogged down in the Sool against SSC-Khatumo and also a intra Isaaq civil war against the Garxajis clan, just 100 KM outside of Hargeisa in the Gacan Libaax mountain range.
However, if Ethiopia were to invade northern Somalia and seize Saylac, it would be the beginning of another occupation by force, and local Somalis would take up arms, which will then for surely violently ricochet throughout the Somali region of Ethiopia.
Secondly, Ethiopia’s misadventure into northern Somalia would pave the way for extremist groups to rise up in the region and make northern Somalia a breathing ground for extremist groups.
Lastly, the port of Saylac is in ruins and remains non existent as it hasn’t been used since Somalia’s central government collapsed in 1991, meaning even if Ethiopia were to seize Saylac, it would take Ethiopia years to develop the port into full capacity for proper use.
As a result this would see Ethiopia entangled in a military debacle and fiasco of an occupation that would cost Ethiopia’s government huge financial losses as well as military loses at the hands of local Somali resistance groups.
However, one of the most concerning things is the silence and complete disregard from the federal government of Somalia about the looming threat from Ethiopia, which many view the authorities in Mogadishu as being careless and even complicit in the scheme.
Somalis have bared the storm on more than one occasion and also survived numerous trials and tribulations over the past three decades. It now remains to be seen how Somalia will fare in Ethiopia’s latest act of aggression.
Daljir Media Service Desk
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