The UK’s Duty to Challenge Ethiopia’s Illegal MoU with Somaliland Administration

[Deeq A.]

Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Mogadishu (PP Editorial) — The illegal maritime Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ethiopia and the secessionist Somaliland Administration demands immediate and decisive action from the new British government. This MoU, which violates the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia, risks undermining the progress achieved since the establishment of the permanent Federal Government of Somalia in 2012.

The United Kingdom, having played a pioneering role in Somalia’s state-building initiatives, including the establishment of the post-transitional government, has a moral obligation to ensure that Somalia’s sovereignty is protected. The UK’s leadership in the United Nations on Somalia’s state-building initiatives further reinforces this responsibility. The MoU between Ethiopia and Somaliland Administration represents a blatant violation of Somalia’s sovereign, and endangers the stability and progress achieved in the Horn of Africa.

The post-World War II international order, which Britain has championed, places paramount importance on the principles of sovereignty and peaceful coexistence. The commitment of the United Kingdom to these principles has been a cornerstone of its foreign policy and should guide its approach to the illegal maritime Memorandum of Understanding, which undermines these principles but also threatens regional stability.

Dr Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

Ethiopia is a country that was liberated by Britain over 82 years ago. It is a nation that benefited from the breach of protectorate agreements between the British Empire and the Somali clans. If the status of subjecthood previously prevented Somalis from having their territorial rights safeguarded under the Protectorate Agreements, their citizenship rights based on national sovereignty must not be disregarded to permit Ethiopia to annex a coastal district of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

The insistence of Ethiopia on the validity of the illegal maritime Memorandum of Understanding poses a grave threat to the global security. The potential for geopolitical conflict in the Horn of Africa is a direct result of this unilateral and illegal move by the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, the Nobel Peace Laureate Abiy Ahmed.

Britain’s historical commitment to international order and peace must be reflected in its actions today. The stakes are high, and the need for British leadership has never been more pressing. It is time for the UK to step forward and address this critical issue with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.

© Puntland Post, 2024

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