ADDIS ABABA
Ethiopia has decided to officially recognize Somaliland as a country to ensure access to international waters.
According to a foreign news agency, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told reporters that he has agreed to an agreement with the leaders of Somaliland. Under the agreement, Somaliland will lease a port in the Red Sea to Ethiopia. Along with giving, it will also provide disposal of up to 20 km area in the sea.
In return, the Ethiopian government will recognize Somaliland as a country and establish formal diplomatic relations.
Somaliland is a breakaway or rebel province of Somalia that decided to secede from the country in 1991 and recognize itself as a formal state.
This is the first time that a country has agreed to give it the status of a formal state. The agreement reached between Ethiopia and Somaliland has caused chaos in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu.
