Tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia escalated over the weekend following allegations by Somalia's president that Ethiopian security forces tried to bar him from attending the African Union summit in Addis Ababa. Speaking to journalists before cutting short his trip, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said the actions of the Ethiopian forces were part of a grand scheme by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to annex part of Somalia. The Ethiopian government rejected Mohamud’s claim and said the Somali leader and his delegation declined to be accompanied by a security detail assigned to him. Ethiopia and Somalia have a long history of tensions and have even gone to war with each other. Ethiopia currently deploys its troops into Somalia within and outside the African Union framework.

Source: Ethiopian News February 19, 2024 23:13 UTC