Mogadishu (Caasimada Online) – Somalia has firmly rejected a proposal for multinational naval exercises in its waters, which would have included landlocked Ethiopia. Officials in Mogadishu slammed the plan as a “subversive” new attempt by Addis Ababa to secure access to the sea.

The episode is the latest flashpoint in a worsening diplomatic standoff between the Horn of Africa neighbours, sparked earlier this year by Ethiopia’s contentious port deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland.

Somalia’s Defence Minister, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, made it clear that the government strongly opposes the naval drills, calling them a thinly veiled attempt to advance Ethiopia’s strategic maritime ambitions.

“We refused to conduct naval exercises with landlocked countries, and that will not happen in our country,” Fiqi told local media. “They wanted to subordinate us to countries with whom we have disputes.”

While Fiqi did not name all the participants, he left no doubt that Ethiopia’s involvement was the central reason for Somalia’s refusal. The government viewed the exercise as a backdoor attempt to force cooperation with Addis Ababa on highly sensitive maritime security matters.

Tensions over new AU mission

The fallout over the proposed naval drills comes amid mounting friction tied to a recent African Union meeting in Mogadishu. During that gathering, Ethiopia surprised Somali officials by announcing plans to contribute a naval force to the AU’s new peacekeeping mission in the country.

That mission, known as the African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), is set to replace the long-running ATMIS operation. But tensions flared at a planning conference hosted by the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), when Ethiopian delegates announced their first deployment under AUSSOM would consist of naval units—complete with ships and patrol boats.

According to officials at the meeting, the Ethiopian side presented what they claimed was a prior agreement signed in Addis Ababa, alleging that Somalia had already approved the inclusion of naval forces in AUSSOM’s force-generation plan.

That claim was swiftly and forcefully denied by the Somali delegation, led by State Minister for Defence Abdifatah Kasim and Deputy Commander of the Somali National Army, General Madey Nurey Sheikh Ufurow. The session reportedly ended in heated disagreement, underscoring the deep mistrust that continues to plague relations between the two nations.

Lingering fallout from port deal

These latest tensions unfold against the backdrop of a major diplomatic crisis dating back to January 2024, when Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Somaliland—a region that declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but remains unrecognized internationally.

Under the MoU, Ethiopia would gain a 50-year lease on a 20-kilometer stretch of Somaliland’s coast for a naval base and port access. In exchange, Addis Ababa reportedly agreed to recognize Somaliland’s sovereignty—a step that would mark a dramatic shift in regional diplomacy.

Somalia, which regards Somaliland as part of its sovereign territory, denounced the agreement as a direct assault on its territorial integrity. The deal has since been stalled by intense international backlash, including condemnation from the Arab League and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Yet, analysts believe Ethiopia is now seeking more discreet avenues to achieve its long-held goal of sea access, especially as the Somaliland deal faces growing resistance.

A decades-long quest for the sea

Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous country with over 120 million people, has been landlocked since Eritrea’s independence in 1993—a geopolitical loss that stripped it of an entire coastline. Ever since, Ethiopia has relied heavily on Djibouti’s ports for nearly all of its maritime trade.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has made no secret of his view that sea access is vital to Ethiopia’s long-term economic and strategic future. He has repeatedly described it as an “existential” need.

Somalia, for its part, possesses the longest coastline on mainland Africa, stretching along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean—key global shipping routes. Its government remains resolute that it will not compromise on sovereignty or territorial rights.

Now, Somali officials see Ethiopia’s bid to join naval exercises and deploy maritime units under AU frameworks as a calculated pivot—a strategy to achieve through security cooperation what it could not accomplish through direct agreements or confrontation.