ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia —(HornPost) Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud made a one-day working visit to Addis Ababa on Tuesday, meeting Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for talks focused on bilateral relations, regional security and political developments in the Horn of Africa.
Abiy personally welcomed Hassan Sheikh at Bole International Airport, according to the Ethiopian News Agency. ENA said the two leaders were expected to discuss bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.
Somalia’s state news agency, SONNA, said the meeting focused on strengthening the longstanding relationship between Somalia and Ethiopia, as well as the security and political situation in the region. The two leaders also emphasized regional cooperation to support peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.
Why the visit matters now
The timing of the meeting is significant because Ethiopia is facing renewed fighting in the north. Reuters reported Monday that Ethiopian federal and allied forces had captured the strategic town of Alamata in Tigray following renewed clashes involving forces aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. The renewed conflict has raised concerns about a wider regional escalation.
The developments come as Somalia and Ethiopia continue rebuilding relations after the diplomatic crisis triggered by Ethiopia’s January 2024 memorandum of understanding with Somaliland.
That crisis was eased by the Ankara Declaration, signed by Hassan Sheikh and Abiy in December 2024 under Turkish mediation. The declaration reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to sovereignty and territorial integrity and provided for Ethiopia to pursue reliable and secure access to the sea through arrangements under Somalia’s sovereign authority.
The United States welcomed the agreement at the time and said cooperation on shared security interests, including the fight against al-Shabaab, was important to stability in the region.
The latest meeting therefore takes place against a broader backdrop of overlapping security and strategic issues: Ethiopia’s renewed internal conflict, Somalia’s fight against al-Shabaab, cross-border security and the continuing implementation of the framework established by the Ankara Declaration.
What remains unclear
Neither the Ethiopian nor Somali statements released so far have provided a detailed account of the issues discussed behind closed doors.
In particular, there is no official confirmation that Somaliland, the Tigray conflict or Ethiopia’s maritime-access arrangements were specifically discussed during Tuesday’s meeting.
That distinction is important. The official statements establish that bilateral relations and regional security were discussed, but they do not provide enough detail to attribute specific decisions or agreements to the meeting.
For now, the visit can be viewed as another high-level effort by Mogadishu and Addis Ababa to maintain their bilateral relationship while the wider Horn of Africa faces renewed security pressures.
Prepared by:
HornPost Staff
