WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH SOMALI-ETHIOPIAN RELATIONS AND AT SOMALI FRONTIER?

WDM EDITORIAL

It looks that Ethiopia is back on its past tracks to infiltrate and divide Somalis in order to weaken Somalia. In Hargeisa and elsewhere in the Federal Member States, public visits by Ethiopian security officers are being conducted. Whether it is security concern on the part of Abyi Government, given recent attacks by Al-Shabab in Southern and Eastern Ethiopian boundary line, or provocative move to destabilize President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s Government for geopolitical reasons, isn’t clear yet. One thing is known – President Mohamud had close relations with Tigray Regime of Ethiopia and that is enough justification and reasoning for an African despot to get suspicious and annoyed. Tigrayan Provincial leaders were among the first to congratulate President Mohamud on his victory in the recent Somalia’s Presidential Race.

Whatever the case may be, Somalia has to mend its neighborly relations with Ethiopia. Somalia’s relationships with Ethiopia carry huge historical burden and shared cultural heritage that require careful consideration and risk management exercises. Hassan Sh. Mohamud must rise up to the occasion to improve relations with Ethiopia and outgrow Tigrayan hangover.