Wednesday November 20, 2024
Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday issued a statement congratulating Somaliland’s new president-elect, Abdirahman Mohammed Abdullahi.
The ministry commended both the outgoing president and the president-elect for demonstrating “exemplary democratic statesmanship.”
“On behalf of the people and Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulates President-Elect Abdirahman Mohammed Abdullahi – Irro on winning the presidential election in Somaliland.Ethiopia applauds both the president-elect and President Muse Bihi Abdi for the exemplary democratic statesmanship they have exhibited,” the ministry stated.
The ministry also extended its best wishes for the success of Abdirahman Mohammed Abdullahi’s administration in its future endeavors.
Somaliland’s Push for Recognition
Somaliland, as a self-declared state, is at least as old as Eritrea but lacks international recognition as an independent nation. It asserts that it had a history of independent statehood before uniting with Somalia, from which it declared independence in 1991. However, geopolitical considerations and Somalia’s persistent claims over Somaliland have hindered its quest for recognition.
There have been security challenges, including the presence of Al-Shabaab terrorist groups, in the region but it is unclear if it has complicated the stability narrative.
Following this month’s election—widely regarded as free, fair, and democratic—some Somalilanders, as reflected in social media conversations, are hopeful that hesitant countries, particularly in the West, may now reconsider recognizing Somaliland as an independent state.
Peaceful Elections and Democratic Progress
The Horn of Africa’s de facto state has held four elections to date, the latest of which took place peacefully on November 13, 2024.
This year’s election saw the incumbent Muse Bihi Abdi from the Kulmiye party, opposition leader Abdirahman Mohammed Abdullahi from the Waddani party, and another opposition party leader Faysal Ali Warabe from the UCID party vying for the presidency.
According to sources, the Somaliland Electoral Commission has announced preliminary results, declaring Mr. Abdirahman Mohammed Abdullahi Cirro as the winner and the sixth president of the Republic of Somaliland.
The president-elect previously served as the Speaker of the Somaliland House of Representatives.
Voter turnout was reported to be unprecedented, with over one million eligible voters casting their ballots across more than 2,000 polling stations in Somaliland.
Tensions in the Region
Although Somaliland declared independence from Somalia over 34 years ago, the government in Mogadishu continues to regard it as an integral part of Somalia—a claim that Somaliland firmly rejects.
In January this year, Somaliland signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ethiopia. Since then, tensions have escalated in the region, with Somalia accusing Ethiopia of “violating” its sovereignty by signing the agreement.
The development has led to a shift in alliances. In August this year, Somalia signed a defense agreement with Egypt, which is set to deploy about 10,000 troops to Somalia as part of the new African Union Peacekeeping Mission and a bilateral arrangement.
Eritrea, following a fallout with Abiy Ahmed’s administration, has been providing military assistance to Somalia, including training tens of thousands of Somali troops over the past few years.
In October, a formal tripartite agreement was signed in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, further strengthening Eritrea’s ties with Somalia and Egypt.
Eritrea’s formalization of an anti-Ethiopian alliance was previously reported here.
Ethiopia has expressed concern over the deployment of Egyptian troops to Somalia, given the longstanding hostility between Ethiopia and Egypt over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Ethiopia’s Strategic Interests
As it stands, Somaliland remains Ethiopia’s key ally in the region. Nearly a year after the Memorandum of Understanding was signed, it has yet to be finalized. Once completed, Ethiopia is expected to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state in exchange for a 20-kilometer coastal land lease. The lease is anticipated to last for 50 years.