عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Somalia Rejects Mediation Efforts with Ethiopia Over Port Deal 

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attends the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) 42nd Extraordinary Session, at the State House in Entebbe, Uganda January 18, 2024. (Reuters)
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attends the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) 42nd Extraordinary Session, at the State House in Entebbe, Uganda January 18, 2024. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Somalia Rejects Mediation Efforts with Ethiopia Over Port Deal 

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attends the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) 42nd Extraordinary Session, at the State House in Entebbe, Uganda January 18, 2024. (Reuters)
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attends the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) 42nd Extraordinary Session, at the State House in Entebbe, Uganda January 18, 2024. (Reuters)

Somalia rejected any discussions with Ethiopia about Addis Ababa's agreement to lease a port in the breakaway region of Somaliland, as regional heads of state gathered on Thursday to try to defuse a growing diplomatic crisis.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed on Jan. 1, Ethiopia would consider recognizing Somaliland's independence in return for gaining access to the Red Sea, partly through the port lease.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not won recognition from any country and the port lease deal, which would be a boon to landlocked Ethiopia, has enraged Somalia.

An escalating war of words, including threats by Somalia to go to war to prevent the deal from going through, led the African Union to call on Wednesday for restraint and "meaningful dialogue".

"There is no space for mediation unless Ethiopia retracts its illegal MOU and reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia," Somalia's ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement on Thursday.

Under the deal, which still has to be finalized, Ethiopia would lease 20 km (12 miles) of coastland around the port of Berbera, on the Gulf of Aden, for 50 years for military and commercial purposes.

Ethiopia's current main port for maritime exports is in the neighboring country of Djibouti.

Heads of state from a regional group, the eight-member Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), met in Entebbe, Uganda, on Thursday to seek a peaceful solution.

Those in attendance included the presidents of Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan as well as the leader of the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, who attended as an observer along with the European Union, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, said the MOU threatened to further undermine regional security and had been weaponized by Al Shabaab militants.

"We have already seen troubling indications that al-Shabaab is using the MOU to generate new recruits," he told delegates in Uganda, according to a copy of the remarks seen by Reuters.

Ethiopia did not send a delegation, saying it was informed too late about the summit.

At a news conference on Thursday, Ambassador Meles Alem, Ethiopia's foreign affairs spokesperson, rejected a statement by the Arab League on Wednesday that called the MOU "a clear violation of international law".

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Sudanese Army Repels Blue Nile Attack, Advances in Kordofan

Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 
Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 
TT
TT

Sudanese Army Repels Blue Nile Attack, Advances in Kordofan

Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 
Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has spread from the Kordofan fronts to the Blue Nile region, where local authorities reported repelling an attack on Al-Kaili in Kurmuk locality, while the army announced it had retaken 11 areas in North Kordofan after battles with the RSF.

Authorities in Kurmuk reported that army forces prevented the RSF from entering Al-Kaili, adding that the attacking force had crossed from Ethiopian territory.

The army, for its part, said a preemptive attack south of the area killed a number of RSF fighters and destroyed nine combat vehicles.

The route taken by the attacking force and the casualties reported by the army could not be independently verified.

In North Kordofan, the army announced Thursday that it had retaken 11 areas west of El Obeid, including Kajmar, Sharshar, Al-Qulay’at and Awlad Hazmah, as well as the area surrounding Al-Mazrub.

Sudan’s official news agency SUNA reported the army’s announcement that it had “liberated several areas” in the state.

According to the military, its forces fought battles with the RSF and carried out sweeping operations in areas into which they had advanced. There was no independent confirmation, however, that the army controlled all the locations it listed.

The developments come amid escalating fighting on several fronts across Kordofan.

According to military sources, army forces and their allies had advanced around the city of Bara and moved toward Sodari in the northwestern part of North Kordofan, while other sources reported the recapture of Al-Farshaya in South Kordofan and Al-Mamsouka in West Kordofan.

Pro-army platforms reported fighting west of Bara and indicated that army forces had entered villages where RSF fighters had been stationed.

At the same time, reports emerged that eight people had been killed and others wounded in an attack in North Kordofan attributed to the RSF, although sufficient independent details about the circumstances were not available.

Sodari is militarily significant because of its location along routes linking North Kordofan with Darfur, making control of surrounding roads important for the movement of troops and supplies westward.

Fighting in recent months has altered the map of territorial control around Bara and along the Export Road linking Khartoum and El Obeid.

In South Kordofan, military operations have focused on routes linking Kadugli, Dilling and El Obeid.

Field sources indicated that the recapture of Al-Farshaya, if confirmed, could improve army movements along the Dilling axis. They also reported movements toward Al-Dibaybat, along roads leading to West Kordofan.

The army has expanded its area of control in North Kordofan in recent months following heavy fighting in which it regained control of Bara, Umm Sayala, Jabra al-Sheikh, Jireikh, Umm Qirfa and other areas, allowing it to reopen the Export Road linking Khartoum and El Obeid.

Arab World

Syria Arrests Five Former Officers over Assad-era Airstrikes

A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
TT
TT

Syria Arrests Five Former Officers over Assad-era Airstrikes

A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

Syrian security forces said on Friday they had arrested five former air force officers accused of involvement in airstrikes on civilians during the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Over more than 13 years of a civil war that claimed more than half a million lives, Syrian forces relentlessly shelled areas held by the opposition forces before Assad was toppled in December 2024 and the current government came to power.

The Internal Security Forces said in a statement that they carried out a series of operations that led to "the arrest of five senior Air Force officers and commanders from the former regime".

The force said investigations were ongoing ahead of the suspects' referral to the judiciary.

The detainees were involved "in planning, managing and carrying out aerial bombardment operations, and in using the air force, air bases and field command centers to conduct intensive combat airstrikes targeting populated areas", the statement said.

Since Assad was overthrown in December 2024, Syria's new authorities have arrested dozens of former security officials, while trials began in April.

Earlier this month Syrian authorities said they had arrested nine former pilots including three generals accused of taking part in lethal bombings of towns and villages under Assad's rule.

Syria sentenced Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and five other security officials to death in absentia in August for atrocities committed during the civil war.

The former president fled Syria as his government fell and is believed to be living in Russia.

Arab World

‘Mechanism’ Defuses Lebanese-Israeli Military Standoff

Lebanese soldiers deploy on the outskirts of Deir Mimas in southern Lebanon after Israeli forces advanced toward the town, positioned tanks, and threw stun grenades (AFP)
Lebanese soldiers deploy on the outskirts of Deir Mimas in southern Lebanon after Israeli forces advanced toward the town, positioned tanks, and threw stun grenades (AFP)
TT
TT

‘Mechanism’ Defuses Lebanese-Israeli Military Standoff

Lebanese soldiers deploy on the outskirts of Deir Mimas in southern Lebanon after Israeli forces advanced toward the town, positioned tanks, and threw stun grenades (AFP)
Lebanese soldiers deploy on the outskirts of Deir Mimas in southern Lebanon after Israeli forces advanced toward the town, positioned tanks, and threw stun grenades (AFP)

Tensions flared between the Lebanese army and Israeli forces on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town of Deir Mimas on Friday after an Israeli unit advanced toward a newly established army position and demanded that it be evacuated.

Contacts through the ceasefire monitoring “mechanism” helped contain the situation, and the Israeli force later withdrew to its position at Tall al-Nahhas. The Lebanese army maintained its deployment in the area and reinforced its presence along the main road in Burj al-Muluk.

The confrontation began when an Israeli force advanced toward the outskirts of Deir Mimas, reaching an intersection near a position recently established by the Lebanese army to support local residents and secure their movement in the area, particularly during the olive harvest.

According to information from the scene, the Israeli force ordered Lebanese soldiers to dismantle the position and leave the area before throwing stun grenades nearby in an attempt to drive them away. The incident prompted a military alert but no exchange of fire.

The Lebanese army initially sent reinforcements to the newly established position, as contacts were initiated through the relevant military channels to prevent the confrontation from escalating.

Dispute over position’s location

The Israeli military said the Lebanese position was located inside what it calls the “Yellow Line,” an Israeli designation for the area that Lebanon does not recognize as an official border or demarcation line.

The military coordination group for Lebanon, operating under the “mechanism,” intervened to address the dispute. Intensive contacts sought to prevent the confrontation from developing into a direct clash between the two armies.

The Lebanese army temporarily evacuated the contested position during efforts to resolve the standoff, allowing the Israeli force to move into the area for a limited period.

The Israeli troops withdrew about 90 minutes later from the position near the entrance to Deir Mimas and returned to their post at Tall al-Nahhas.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Israeli troops searched several homes in Deir Mimas during their presence in the area.

The Lebanese army, meanwhile, maintained its deployment, with units remaining stationed along the main road in Burj al-Muluk as they monitored Israeli movements and other developments along the route.

The confrontation was among the most significant recent incidents of direct contact between the Lebanese army and Israeli forces. It centered on a dispute over the location of an army position and occurred as discussions continued through the “mechanism” over conditions in southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army’s deployment there.

Israeli movements on several fronts

The tensions in Deir Mimas coincided with Israeli movements elsewhere in southern Lebanon. Israeli military vehicles advanced from the direction of the town of al-Tiri toward the outskirts of Hadatha, near Haris in the Bint Jbeil district.

Israeli artillery shelling also resumed on Friday morning against the towns of al-Mansouri and Majdal Zoun following heavy bombardment before and after midnight. Explosions were heard in the city of Tyre and several surrounding towns and villages.

Several shells struck Wadi al-Azziyeh, while artillery fire also hit Wadi Nahle on the outskirts of Shaqra.

Israeli forces fired illumination flares over the towns of Hadatha and Aita al-Jabal in the Bint Jbeil district overnight. Explosions were heard at dawn across large parts of southern Lebanon, reaching the city of Sidon and its surrounding areas.

The escalation comes as political and military contacts continue over the implementation of arrangements for southern Lebanon. Confrontations on the ground have repeatedly occurred at several locations amid continuing Israeli movements and military operations along the border region and inside a number of southern towns.