Amb. Ekramy El Zaghat: Egypt is more cap...
02 Feb, 2025
Amb. Ekramy El Zaghat Condemns Berbera Agreement, Affirms Somalia’s Unity and Sovereignty
The World Fund for Development and Planning (WFDP), Special Advisor to the Economic and Social Fund at the United Nations, issued a statement condemning the Berbera Agreement signed between Ethiopia and the Somaliland region, which aims to grant Ethiopia access to the Red Sea and a port on its shores.
Ekramy El Zaghat, President of the Fund, announced that the Somaliland region is not a separate entity but an integral part of Somali territory. He emphasized that it cannot be treated as a sovereign region or state, explaining that there are international agreements recognizing territorial integrity and independence. He stressed that Somalia is a unified country governed by one government, and any attempt to divide it will not be recognized for any reason.
The Fund called on the United Nations Secretariat and the international community to adhere to the international agreements concerning the state of Somalia and its territorial integrity, under a unified confederal government with Mogadishu as its capital. The Fund also called for the rejection of any agreements with any region under Somalia’s rule, in accordance with international law.
El Zaghat further reiterated the commitment to support the state of Somalia regionally and globally, as per the agreements signed between the Fund and the Somali government.
Earlier this year, Ethiopia, a country without access to the Red Sea, unexpectedly signed an agreement with the leader of Somaliland to gain access to a Red Sea outlet. The agreement grants Ethiopia access to a 20-kilometer stretch of coastline for 50 years, including the Berbera port and a military base, in exchange for Addis Ababa recognizing Somaliland, a breakaway region, as an independent republic. This comes after the region failed to gain recognition of its independence from any country in the world.
The agreement sparked widespread criticism, with the Somali president declaring that he would not recognize the signed deal. Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced that Egypt would not allow any threat to Somalia’s sovereignty and that no one would be allowed to threaten a brotherly nation.
