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AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - Negotiations between Addis Ababa and Somalia over sea access stalled

Thursday, 31 July 2025


Wikipedia

By Cosimo Graziani

https://www.fides.org/en/news/76662-AFR ... ss_stalled

Addis Ababa (Agenzia Fides) - According to diplomatic sources familiar with the matter, diplomatic negotiations between Ethiopia and Somalia to resolve the issue of Addis Ababa's access to the sea and the related permit granted by Mogadishu are stalled. The last round of negotiations between the two countries took place in February, but the news leaked in the first weeks of July.

The announcement has repercussions for African geopolitics, specifically in the Horn of Africa region, and worldwide, as it affects, for example, the transport of goods across the Red Sea.

At the heart of the issue is Ethiopia's request for sea access. In January of last year, the Ethiopian government signed an agreement with the breakaway region of Somaliland to gain access to the sea through a twenty-kilometer stretch along the latter's coast. Somalia's reaction, from which Somaliland formally separated, was swift, and Turkey intervened to resolve the dispute, mediating between the two sides. Its mediation led to an agreement last December between the two countries.

Thereafter, Somalia and Ethiopia began technical negotiations to explore the possibility of sea access for Addis Ababa, but no meeting between the two countries' delegations had been scheduled since last April. In addition to sea access, the possibility of recognizing Somaliland's independence was also on the negotiating table, according to the same diplomatic source cited by the Somali news agency Shabelle.

Ethiopia has never officially committed to this diplomatic move, which, moreover, remains a resource it can use at any time.

While the December 2024 agreement was considered a success for Turkish diplomacy in Africa, the news of the current impasse weakens Ankara's position on the continent. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has invested considerably in recent years, both economically and politically, in his country's presence throughout the African continent, especially in the Horn of Africa, whose role in international logistics is crucial.

Turkey is present in Africa thanks to a dense network of religious institutions that have facilitated its cultural and social penetration; it has opened embassies throughout the continent; it has signed various military agreements, most notably one last year with Somalia, Libya, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Ghana; and Turkish Airlines, the Turkish flag carrier, currently operates flights to more than fifty African destinations. Africa has also acquired strategic importance for Turkey due to its maritime presence, and from this perspective, its presence in the Horn of Africa is even more so. If an agreement brokered by Ankara in the region fails, Turkey's own position will also be affected.

The central issue in relations between Ethiopia and Somalia is the sovereignty of the latter. If Ethiopia were to give in on its recognition of Somaliland, the state would risk being completely dismembered. Armed clashes have recently erupted in the Puntland region, which has been at war with the central government since last year over constitutional amendments approved at the proposal of Somali President Hassan Mohamud. The clashes have occurred between local and pro-government forces. Like Somaliland, which declared its independence from Mogadishu thirty years ago, Puntland has been demanding greater autonomy from the central government since 1998.

In this situation, Egypt could gain political leverage in the region, after years of tense relations with Ethiopia, particularly regarding the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile. Turkish mediation between Ethiopia and Somalia had removed it from the dispute, but the stalled negotiations have brought Cairo back into the game of current and future regional balances. At the beginning of the second week of July, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with his Somali counterpart and promised increased vigilance in the Red Sea. This was a gesture for Addis Ababa, but also for Ankara, as part of the improvement in relations between Egypt and Turkey in other contexts, such as the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya.

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Ethiopian News
Addis Ababa Residents Frustrate Over Surging Electricity Costs

July 30, 2025


Social Media

Getahun Tsegaye, Staff Reporter

https://borkena.com/2025/07/30/ethiopia ... ity-costs/

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Many residents in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, are frustrated and have complained to the Ethiopian Electric Utility about their exorbitant electricity bills. Many households are experiencing financial difficulties as a result of this abrupt increase in charges, and they are demanding answers right away.

In order to confirm the increasing volume of social media complaints about these price increases, Borkena spoke with a number of Addis Ababa locals. The names of those interviewed have been changed for security reasons, or only their first names have been used.

Martha, a resident, expressed her intense frustration with the extreme monthly electricity bills. She reported that a 1,000 Ethiopian birr recharge, which previously lasted a month, now barely covers two weeks.

A week ago, I recharged my card with 800 birr, but now it’s gone,

.

she lamented.

Markos shared a similar experience, expressing outrage over the significantly increased tariff. He stated he is now paying more than double what he used to. He recounted recharging his electricity card with 1,500 birr about two weeks ago, only to find the balance read 1,200 birr when he tapped his card on the in-home electric meter – a 300 birr discrepancy. He added that when he sought an explanation at the branch office where he recharged, the officers were unable to provide answers.

An additional resident, who wished to remain anonymous, described her difficulties with the exorbitant electricity bills. She explained,

Paying rent, affording daily expenses were already a struggle, but these electric bills are becoming unaffordable.

She and her husband, a handyman, live on a fixed monthly salary and raise two children. She used to pay about 800 birr a month, but now she has bills that are more than double that amount, which makes it impossible for her to make ends meet.

Borkena made an effort to reach out to the Ethiopian Electric Utility for an explanation. Addressing such complaints was

beyond their scope of authority,

according to a branch office representative, who gave no further information.

Several attempts to contact Ethiopian Electric Power’s headquarters for comment were not successful.

A little less than half of Ethiopia’s more than 130 million people to date are without reliable access to electric power, according to reports, especially in rural areas.

The inauguration of the GERD in September, as the government expects, is eagerly awaited by many citizens. The project would more than double Ethiopia’s current power generation capacity. The giant dam, the largest in Africa, is expected to generate more than 6,000 MW of electricity.

Millions of citizens and many officials wish that with the completion of GERD, there would be an enhanced power supply with affordable electricity prices than it’s today for the ordinary population.

However, political considerations, infrastructural capacity, and economic factors will determine if this indeed means cheaper electricity for all Ethiopians.