Ethiopia's ambassador expelled from Somalia

Somalia has expelled Ethiopia’s ambassador in Mogadishu and ordered the closure of two consulates – one each in the semi-autonomous Puntland region and the breakaway Somaliland region – in a dispute over a port deal. ‘The plain interference of Ethiopia's Government in the internal affairs of Somalia is a violation of the independence and sovereignty of Somalia,’ said the office of Somalia's Prime Minister on Thursday. Voice of America reports the decision followed a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Hamza Barre in Mogadishu. A separate statement by Somalia’s Foreign Ministry said it had ordered Ethiopian Ambassador Muktar Mohamed Ware to leave the country within 72 hours, effective Thursday. Tensions have been growing between Ethiopia and Somalia since January, when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed ‘a memorandum of understanding’ with Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi. Both Ethiopia and Somaliland authorities described it as a ‘historic’ initial agreement that would give Somaliland a path to recognition and allow landlocked Ethiopia to have access to the Red Sea. Ethiopia said it wanted to set up a naval base there and offered possible recognition of Somaliland in exchange. Somaliland has operated independently from Somalia since 1991 but is not recognised by any other country as a sovereign state. The Somali Government strongly rejected the memorandum of understanding and recalled its ambassador in Ethiopia in protest. A month later, Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called the deal illegal and said that his country would ‘defend itself’ if Ethiopia goes ahead with it. The latest government decision came a day after Puntland, which is also a federal member state, announced it had signed a new co-operation agreement with Addis Ababa.