Somali President Shuns Ethiopian Prime Minister at Beijing Summit

Beijing (AX) — In a notable diplomatic snub, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has rebuffed an invitation to rendezvous with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit taking place in Beijing. Sources privy to the situation reveal that efforts by African leaders, including those from Djibouti and Mauritania, alongside former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the special envoy of the African Union, to broker this meeting were futile.

This marks the second time President Mohamud has turned down a chance to meet with Abiy Ahmed. Previously, talks facilitated by Kenyan President William Ruto in Nairobi also fell flat. The growing diplomatic chasm between Somalia and Ethiopia stems from a contentious agreement wherein Ethiopia has leased 20 kilometers of coastline from the separatist North Western of Somaliaregion, a move that Mogadishu labeled as unlawful and provocative.

Last month saw Turkish-mediated negotiations aimed at diffusing the impasse conclude without yielding any results. In Ankara, both Somali and Ethiopian foreign ministers notably shied away from face-to-face discussions. Following Ethiopia’s controversial January pact, Somalia reacted decisively by expelling the Ethiopian ambassador and raising threats regarding the status of Ethiopian forces currently engaged in anti-terror operations within Somali borders.