Somalia excludes Ethiopia from taking part in new AU mission

BAIDOA, Somalia

Somalia has excluded Ethiopia from taking part in the new UN-backed African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in the East African country.

Somali Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur said the Ethiopian troops will not be part of the forthcoming AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which will replace the current African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

In August, the AU Peace and Security Council endorsed the AUSSOM, which is set to begin its work in next January.

“The process is ongoing, and we will share the country that has been invited to participate in the mission but what we currently know is that Ethiopia has been excluded,” Nur said in an interview with the state-run news agency SONNA late Saturday.

He said Ethiopia was excluded due to its “violations against Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Ties between Ethiopia and Somalia have worsened since Ethiopia struck a deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland on Jan. 1 to use its Red Sea port of Berbera.

Türkiye has been working to end tensions between the two Horn of Africa countries.

Ethiopia lost its Red Sea ports in the early 1990s after the Eritrean War of Independence, which lasted from 1961 to 1991.

In 1991, Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, leading to the establishment of two separate nations. The separation resulted in Ethiopia losing direct access to the Red Sea and key ports.

Ethiopia has since been landlocked, affecting its ability to conduct efficient maritime trade.