History was being made in the Horn of Africa, just at the point last week when many of us were contemplating what our new year resolutions would be.
Somaliland, a former British protectorate which declared itself independent from Somalia in 1991, struck a deal with Ethiopia for recognition. The full agreement signed by Somaliland’s president Muse Bihi Abdi and the Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed has not yet been published. But we do know via statements released by both sides that Ethiopia and Somaliland signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which would give Ethiopia access to one of Somaliland’s Red Sea ports. The president has said that in return, Somaliland would gain recognition as an independent state.
