Ethiopia and Somalia have decided to restore diplomatic relations, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
This happened after a visit to Ababa by the president of Somalia. The restoration of diplomatic relations is part of a peace agreement aimed at ending tensions between the two countries in the Horn of Africa.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud agreed to restore and strengthen bilateral ties through full and comprehensive diplomatic relations in their respective capitals, the governments of the two countries said in a statement and transmitted to Agence France-Presse.
Relations between Somalia and Ethiopia have deteriorated sharply since landlocked Ethiopia signed a maritime agreement with Somaliland, a breakaway region in Somalia. Under the agreement, Ethiopia leased 20 kilometers of coastline from Somaliland in exchange for access to the sea.
Ethiopia's ambassador to the Somali capital Mogadishu was expelled in April and the two countries severed diplomatic relations. The international community was concerned that the tension between the two countries would harm the already unstable region.
In early December, the Ethiopian prime minister and the Somali president reached an agreement to end the crisis, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acting as mediator.
The discussions between the leaders of the two neighboring countries now concerned the serious and growing threats coming from extremist groups in the region, in particular the radical Islamists “Al-Shabab”, linked to “Al-Qaeda”, who have been at war with the federal authorities of Somalia for more than 10 years. The leaders of the two countries also agreed to ask their respective intelligence agencies to strengthen cooperation in the face of security challenges.
But the most difficult part is yet to be settled. There are no details on how the December agreement to resolve the crisis will give Ethiopia some form of access to the sea. The fate of the agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland is also unclear.
The leader of the junta in Mali, General Assimi Goita, received the head of the Sudanese forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, also considered the de facto Sudanese leader, Agence France-Presse reported.
Burhan's forces have been at war with the paramilitary “People's Defense Forces” for more than a year in Sudan, the agency recalls.
Mali, for its part, is trying to cope with jihadist attacks and rebellions by supporters of secession and independence in certain regions of the country.
Asimi Goita took power in a coup in Mali in 2020, overthrowing the Malian-elected president.
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan carried out a second coup in Sudan in 2021, expelling civilians from the government he led. The first coup in Sudan, which overthrew dictator Omar al-Bashir, took place in 2019.
After the second coup, Burhan's deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, turned against him together with the “People's Defense Forces“ and this conflict has engulfed Sudan since 2023.
Burhan's visit to Mali is friendly and working and will last 48 hours, the Malian presidency announced.
The junta in Mali has broken off relations with its historical ally France and turned militarily and politically to Russia. It has secured the services of the Russian paramilitary group “Wagner“. Sudan has also become closer to Russia.
After Mali, Burhan will also visit Guinea-Bissau.
At the same time, paramilitary forces in Sudan announced that they had lost the city of Wad Madani, the capital of the Sudanese state of Al-Jazira, which army forces had infiltrated. The paramilitary forces promised to regain control of the city, which they had held for over a year.
France has ceded to Chad a second military base it had on Chadian territory, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
This is the base in Abéché, in the eastern part of the country.
The handover took place in the context of the denunciation of the bilateral agreement on military cooperation by the Chadian authorities in November last year.
90 soldiers out of 120 who were at the base left for the capital N'Djamena, and the first convoy of equipment set off for the port of Douala yesterday evening.
The French military has been assisting the Chadian army in missions to secure the country, but also to train Chadian soldiers and to provide medical care to the local population.
The Chadian Ministry of the Armed Forces said that on January 31, the French military would finally leave the country.
Last month, France handed over to Chad the base in Faya, in the northern part of the country, and the French fighter jets, which had been based in Chad for decades, left the country.