Following Ethiopia’s port arrangement with the breakaway province of Somaliland, Hissein Brahim Taha, General Secretary of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), criticized any act compromising Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on Thursday.
The General Secretariat reaffirmed the OIC’s solidarity with the Federal Republic of Somalia, emphasizing the need of respecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as ensuring regional security, peace, and stability.
The two countries’ disagreement began on January 1, following the signing of a port agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia.
Somalia accused Ethiopia of violating its sovereignty after Addis Abeba signed a long-awaited agreement with Somaliland to gain access to the Red Sea.
The OIC’s support for Somalia comes just hours after the US rejected international recognition for Somaliland and asked for calm after the region’s officials signed a deal with Ethiopia.