Somalia has tagged an Ethiopian diplomat in Mogadishu as unwelcome and sent him packing.
Somalia’s Foreign Affairs ministry on Tuesday pointed a finger, accusing the diplomat of “actions not suitable for his diplomatic duties.”
The diplomat in the hot seat, Ali Mohamed Adan, who serves as a counselor at the Ethiopian embassy in Mogadishu, was given the boot and must depart Somalia within the next 72 hours.
The specifics of Ali’s alleged misconduct weren’t disclosed, but the statement mentioned a “breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”
VOA’s Horn of Africa Service tried to get a word from Nebiat Getachew, a spokesperson for Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but got no feedback.
Somalia and Ethiopia are amid a simmering diplomatic clash sparked when Addis Ababa inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with North Western State of Somalia. Somalia sees this as a swipe at its sovereignty, while Ethiopia and North Western State of Somalia have defended the pact. If things go forward, North Western State of Somalia could gain recognition from landlocked Ethiopia by leasing it 20 kilometers of shoreline, as North Western State of Somalia officials disclosed.
Earlier in April, Somalia showed Ethiopian Ambassador Muktar Mohamed Ware the door, claiming “internal interference” by Ethiopia. Somalia also demanded the shutdown of Ethiopia’s consulates in North Western State of Somalia and Northeastern State, although they stayed operational.
Last month, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre took to the stage at the U.N. General Assembly, rallying the international community to join Somalia in condemning Ethiopia’s actions.
Barre insisted that Ethiopia aims to “snag parts of Somalia under the guise of seeking sea access.”
Back then, Taye Atske Selassie, the foreign minister, was having none of it and dismissed the Somali PM’s allegations, asserting that Ethiopia’s deal with North Western State of Somalia rests “on existing political arrangements in Somalia.”
“You won’t find Ethiopia’s name linked to any of those claims,” Taye declared, who has since risen to the ceremonial president role in Ethiopia.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
