Kenya’s president William Samoei Ruto says he and Ugandan leader, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will mediate in the feud between Somalia and Ethiopia over the Somaliland port deal. He was speaking on Saturday during a press conference after a heads of State summit.
In a bid to quell tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia over the Somaliland port deal, Kenyan President William Ruto unveiled on Saturday he and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni would help mediate in a dispute that threatens to destabilise the Horn of Africa region.
Landlocked Ethiopia, which has thousands of troops in Somalia to fight al Qaeda-linked insurgents, since January this year angered the Mogadishu government with its plan to build a port in the breakaway region of Somaliland.
According to the deal, Somaliland, could in exchange for the port gain possible recognition as an independent nation from Ethiopia, after having struggled to gain international recognition despite governing itself and enjoying comparative peace and stability since declaring independence in 1991.
The spat has drawn Somalia closer to Egypt, which has quarrelled with Ethiopia for years over Addis Ababa’s construction of a vast hydro dam on the Nile River, and Eritrea, another of Ethiopia’s foes.
During a press conference at a regional heads of State summit, Ruto stated they will mediate « because the security of Somalia … contributes significantly to the stability of our region, and the environment for investors and business people and entrepreneurs to thrive. »
Several attempts to resolve the feud in Ankara, Turkey, have failed to make a breakthrough.
The office of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said in a statement that Mohamud had met Ruto and Museveni on the sidelines of the summit, but it did not make reference to a potential mediation.
