Somalia dismisses Ethiopia-Somaliland coastline deal, says it compromises sovereignty

By OMAR FARUK
Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia’s president has rejected an agreement signed between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland to give landlocked Ethiopia access to its coast. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud asserts that the agreement is a violation of international law. The deal would allow Ethiopia to lease a 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) stretch of coastline to establish a marine force base. Somaliland’s president says the agreement includes a clause that Ethiopia would recognize Somaliland as an independent country in the near future. Somaliland broke from Somalia in 1991 and has maintained its own government despite its lack of international recognition.