Mogadishu: Somalia said on Thursday there was no room for mediation in a dispute with Ethiopia unless Addis Ababa canceled a controversial maritime deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland.
Tensions in the Horn of Africa have escalated after landlocked Ethiopia reached a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland on January 1 that gives it much sought-after access to the sea.
“There is no space for mediation unless Ethiopia retracts its illegal MOU and reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement posted on its official social media accounts.
The comment comes after the African Union’s conflict resolution body on Wednesday discussed the crisis between the two neighbors.
The Peace and Security Council called on them “to exercise restraint, de-escalate and engage in meaningful dialogue toward finding a peaceful resolution of the matter.”
East Africa grouping IGAD is also holding an extraordinary summit in Uganda on Thursday on the Ethiopia-Somalia feud, as well as the conflict in Sudan.
Other international players including the United States, European Union, China and the Arab League have also called for Somalia’s sovereignty to be respected.
Mogadishu has branded the pact an act of “aggression” by Ethiopia, which has in turn insisted no laws have been transgressed.
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has also warned it could open the way to a “revival” of Al-Shabab, the Islamist militant group that has been waging a bloody insurgency against the central government for more than 15 years.
Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Wednesday described the MoU as “a blatant attack against Arab, African and international principles, and a clear violation of international law.”
Under the pact, Somaliland agreed to lease 20 kilometers (12 miles) of its coast for 50 years to Ethiopia, which wants to set up a naval base and a commercial port on the coast.
Somaliland is a former British protectorate facing the Gulf of Aden which declared its independence from Somalia in 1991, a move not recognized by Mogadishu or the international community.
However, Somalia’s fragile central government in practice exercises little authority over the affairs of the region, which has its own government, security forces and currency.
Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa and one of the biggest landlocked nations in the world, was cut off from the coast after Eritrea seceded and declared independence in 1993 following a three-decade war.
Addis Ababa had maintained access to a port in Eritrea until the two countries went to war in 1998-2000, and since then Ethiopia has sent most of its trade through Djibouti.
Ethiopia and Somalia have have a history of stormy relations and territorial feuds, fighting two wars in the late 20th century.
Somalia rules out mediation unless Ethiopia retracts Somaliland deal
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Somalia rules out mediation unless Ethiopia retracts Somaliland deal
- Mogadishu has branded the pact an act of “aggression” by Ethiopia, which has in turn insisted no laws have been transgressed
Jordan resumes aid convoys to Palestinians in Gaza as conditions deteriorate
- Aid and food will be distributed in northern Gaza to ensure it reaches the most affected families
- Initiative involved the World Food Programme and the Jordanian armed forces
LONDON: Jordan on Wednesday resumed the dispatch of relief convoys to the besieged and war-torn Gaza Strip after months of an Israeli blockade that hindered humanitarian aid from reaching the Palestinian coastal enclave.
The Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization sent 40 trucks loaded with basic food supplies into Gaza as part of Amman’s humanitarian efforts to support Palestinians. The initiative was in collaboration with the World Food Programme and the Jordanian armed forces.
The aid and food will be distributed in northern Gaza to ensure it reaches the most affected families and supports Palestinians as humanitarian and living conditions continue to deteriorate due to Israeli attacks since late 2023.
Hussein Shibli, the secretary-general of JHCO, said the resumption of convoys highlights Jordan’s commitment under King Abdullah II to support Palestinians.
Jordan collaborated with the WFP to deliver a mobile bakery that supplied thousands of loaves of bread daily to residents in northern Gaza. Shibli said that cooperation with the WFP included projects for distributing meals and clean water, because infrastructure was severely damaged during Israeli bombings.
Jordan was among the first countries to conduct airlift missions in the early days of the war, delivering relief to Gaza. More than 56,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, which have been described as genocide by human rights groups and several heads of state.
Palestinian Authority welcomes French president’s affirmation of recognizing statehood during UK parliament speech
- Emmanuel Macron said attacks in Gaza and West Bank put the prospect of Palestinian statehood at risk
- He called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been launching military campaigns since late 2023
LONDON: The Palestinian Authority welcomed on Wednesday the statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron during his state visit to the UK, in which he affirmed Paris’ position to recognize a Palestinian state as a way to ensure stability in the Middle East.
The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said that Macron is leading French efforts to revive the peace process with the Israeli government and contribute to implementing the two-state solution.
During his speech at the UK parliament on Tuesday, Macron said, “With Gaza in ruin and the West Bank being attacked on a daily basis, the perspective of a Palestinian state has never been put at risk as it is.
“And this is why this solution of the two states and the recognition of the State of Palestine is … the only way to build peace and stability for all in the whole region,” Macron said.
Organizers of a planned international conference sponsored by Saudi Arabia and France in mid-June had to postpone the event due to the Iranian-Israeli conflict that erupted. Several Labour lawmakers from the UK’s ruling party have called on Kier Starmer’s government to recognize a Palestinian state and to join France in this effort.
Macron also called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been launching military campaigns since late 2023 following Hamas’ cross-border raids on Israeli towns.
The Palestinian Authority urged European countries that have yet to recognize Palestine to support and follow France’s position, according to Wafa news agency.
Jailed Kurdish militant leader urges PKK fighters to disarm
- Abdullah Ocalan addresses supporters days before scheduled symbolic disarmament ceremony - a first concrete step in peace process with Turkiye
- Jailed leader says peace initiative has reached stage that requires practical steps
ANKARA, Turkiye: The jailed leader of a Kurdish militant group renewed Wednesday a call for his fighters to lay down their arms, days before a symbolic disarmament ceremony is expected to take place as a first concrete step in a peace process with the Turkish state.
In a seven-minute video message broadcast on media close to the militants, Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, declared that the peace initiative had reached a stage that required practical steps.
“It should be considered natural for you to publicly ensure the disarmament of the relevant groups in a way that addresses the expectations of the (Turkish parliament) and its commission, dispels public doubts, and fulfills our commitments,” Ocalan said. “I believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons. And I call on you to put this principle into practice.”
In his video message — his first public appearance since being seen during his trial more than two decades ago — Ocalan, 76, also expressed his support for the establishment of a parliamentary committee to help oversee the peace initiative.
The PKK leader, who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999, first urged the PKK in February to convene a congress and formally dissolve itself. Responding to his call, the PKK announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict, ending four decades of hostilities.
Ocalan’s call to end the fighting marked a pivotal step toward ending the decades-long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s.
His message broadcast on Wednesday appeared to be aimed at convincing fighters who may still be hesitant about abandoning armed struggle. He delivered his message flanked by fellow inmates.
In a speech to lawmakers from his ruling party, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he expected imminent progress in the peace initiative, adding that once firmly established, the effort would benefit not only Turkiye but the broader region. Erdogan also expressed hope that the process would advance without attempts to sabotage it.
“Once the wall of terror is torn town, God willing, everything will change. More pain and tears will be prevented,” Erdogan said. “The winners of this (process) will be the whole of Turkiye — Turks, Kurds and Arabs. Then it will be our entire region.”
“We hope that this auspicious process will conclude successfully as soon as possible, without any road accidents, and without it being sabotaged by dark and corrupt circles,” he said.
In a first step toward the PKK’s disarmament process, a group of its fighters is expected later this week to lay down their arms in a symbolic ceremony to be held in Sulaymaniyah, in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Aysegul Dogan, the spokeswoman for Turkiye’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party said the symbolic laying down of arms would take place on Friday.
“We consider this to be a historic moment and a historic development,” she said, adding that representatives from the party would travel to Sulaymaniyah to witness the event.
Zagros Hiwar, a PKK spokesman, said that a group of 20 to 30 fighters would descend from the mountains and destroy their weapons in front of civil society organizations and invited observers.
The PKK has long maintained bases in the mountains of northern Iraq. Turkish forces have launched offensives and airstrikes against the PKK in Iraq and have set up bases in the area.
The Iraqi government in Baghdad announced last year an official ban on the separatist group, which has long been prohibited in Turkiye.
On Tuesday, Turkiye’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, traveled to Baghdad to discuss the peace process and other security issues with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and other officials, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Israel army says launched ‘special, targeted operations’ in south Lebanon
- Israel has kept up its strikes on Lebanon, despite a November truce with Hezbollah
- Israel's military claimed it carried out operations in Labbouneh and Jabal Blat
JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said Wednesday its troops entered southern Lebanon as part of targeted operations to dismantle infrastructure belonging to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
“Following intelligence information and the identification of Hezbollah weapons and terrorist infrastructure in several areas of southern Lebanon, the soldiers launched special, targeted operations to dismantle them and prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing itself in the area,” an army statement said.
The military did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment on whether this was the first time Israeli troops had operated on the ground in Lebanon since a November ceasefire.
But the army shared a video captioned “footage from a targeted nighttime operation of the 9th Brigade in southern Lebanon,” showing troops walking on the ground.
AFP was unable to verify the footage, the time or location it was shot.
The army statement said the 9th Brigade was in the Labbouneh area, just over the border. Troops from the 300th Brigade operated in the Jabal Blat area further west, also within sight of the frontier.
Despite a November truce with Hezbollah, Israel has kept up its strikes on Lebanon, mainly saying it is targeting the group’s sites and operatives but also occasionally members of their Palestinian ally Hamas.
The November 27 ceasefire sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war that left the group severely weakened.
Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border, leaving the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers as the only armed parties in the region.
Israel was required to fully withdraw its troops from the country but has kept them in five places it deems strategic.
Armenia, Azerbaijan to meet for peace talks in UAE Thursday
- The announcement came a day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope for a swift peace deal between the Caucasus neighbors
BAKU: The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet on Thursday in the United Arab Emirates for peace talks, two days after the US expressed hope for a swift deal.
Baku and Yerevan fought two wars over the disputed Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan recaptured from Armenian forces in a lightning offensive in 2023, prompting the exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians.
The arch foes agreed on the text of a comprehensive peace deal in March, but Baku has since outlined a host of demands — including amendments to Armenia’s constitution to drop its territorial claims for the Karabakh — before signing the document.
On Wednesday, the Armenian government said Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet the following day in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, “within the framework of the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
The Azerbaijani presidency issued an identical statement.
The announcement came a day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope for a swift peace deal between the Caucasus neighbors.
Aliyev and Pashinyan last met on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Albania in May.
