By Manal Abdel Fattah
The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, confirmed that the memorandum of understanding for partnership and cooperation signed on January 1, between the Republic of Ethiopia and the region of Somaliland, is a blatant coup against the stable Arab, African and international principles and a clear violation of international law and international agreements in force, pointing out what this incident entailed. The memorandum received widespread condemnation and rejection throughout Somalia at the civil, popular and official levels of the presidency, government and parliament.
Aboul Gheit said – in his speech before the emergency meeting of the League Council at the ministerial level, regarding Somalia, which was held via video conference technology, today, Wednesday, that the meeting is a message of solidarity and support for the sisterly Federal Republic of Somalia, and a categorical affirmation of the sovereignty of the Somali state and its federal government over all its lands. The unity and sovereignty of Somali lands are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the charters of the United Nations, the Arab League, and the African Union, and violating them is rejected and condemned.
He stressed what was stated in the statement of the General Secretariat of the League dated 1/3/2024 rejecting any agreements or memorandums of understanding that violate or violate the sovereignty of the Somali state, or that attempt to benefit from the delicate and fragility of the Somali internal situation or from the faltering ongoing Somali negotiations between the Somali people regarding the relationship of the regions. Somalia federal government.
Aboul Gheit renewed his full support for the decision of the Somali Cabinet, which considered the alleged memorandum of understanding “null, void, and unacceptable.” Indeed, it is considered unilateral fraudulent behavior that endangers regional and international security and stability and even causes the spread of extremist ideas at a time when the Somali state is making unremitting efforts to confront it.
Aboul Gheit called on the international community to continue its support for the Somali federal government, to respect the state’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to prevent any action under any pretext that takes advantage of the fragility of the internal situation or the faltering national talks on the relationship of the Somali regions with the federal government, in recognizing or threatening to recognize any part of the Somali state. He announces his separation.
He said that the security and political conditions plaguing our region are very difficult, and in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression against Gaza for more than a hundred days, we see continuous attempts to create a new geopolitical reality that largely ignores Arab interests, and the Horn of Africa region is no exception to these attempts and allowing any attempts to create The rift between the Somali national components, and exploiting the state’s preoccupation with its internal challenges in order to achieve political, military, or economic goals, at the expense of the state’s sovereignty, would be tantamount to allowing the victory of the policy of “imposing a fait accompli” and a violation of the principles of international law, which could plunge the region into a spiral of violence and extremism. .
He also called on the Secretary-General to confront these dangerous attempts, to stand in solidarity with the official Somali position, and to take what is necessary to support efforts to respect the territorial integrity of the Somali state, and to support the people in reaching what unites them and to stop inciting the separation of parts of their country, in a region already suffering from conflicts. Separatism does not stop.
He appealed to everyone to continue supporting Somalia’s efforts to restore the health, stability and unity of its national institutions and to confront all security, humanitarian and environmental challenges, which was and still is a major topic that the Arab League seeks to achieve its goals in close cooperation with international and regional organizations.
