The President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said that his country will defend itself if Ethiopia goes ahead with the agreement to establish a military base on the sea side of Somaliland.
“If Ethiopia insists, Somalia will resist and reject it. If they enter the country, Somalia will do everything it can to defend itself,” President Hassan Sheikh told Reuters news agency.
The president did not elaborate on the steps Somalia can take.
He said that he will only agree to talk to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, when the Addis Ababa government gives up its desire to take part of the Somali Sea.
Around 3,000 Ethiopian soldiers of the ATMIS operation are in Somalia, the president said that he does not think that his government should expel those soldiers.
Ethiopia, which is landlocked, reached an agreement with Somaliland on the first of January, which stated that 20 km (12 miles) of the coast will be leased.
