(Bloomberg) — Somalia is considering reversing a decision to exclude Ethiopian troops from a multinational force battling Islamist insurgents, another sign that diplomatic tensions between the two countries are easing.
Ethiopian Defense Minister Aisha Mohammed Mussa traveled to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, for talks on Thursday about her country’s participation in the mission, Somali Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ali Balcad said by phone.
Ethiopia has been one of the main contributors to the United Nations-backed force that’s been fighting al-Qaeda-linked militants in neighboring Somalia for almost two decades. Mogadishu objected to Addis Ababa’s future participation in the mission after a yearlong dispute over Ethiopia’s offer to recognize Somaliland — a breakaway territory in northern Somalia — in return for access to a port in the semi-autonomous region.
Last month, Ethiopia and Somalia agreed to resolve their differences after talks brokered by Turkey in Ankara. That accord opens the way for Ethiopia’s inclusion in the so-called African Union Support and Stabilization Mission, Balcad said.
“Given that the contentious issues between Somalia and Ethiopia have been resolved through the Ankara Declaration, Somalia is ready to reconsider the inclusion of the Ethiopian National Defense Force in the upcoming AUSSOM mission,” he said.
Diplomats had warned that Ethiopia’s exclusion from the force risked escalating into conflict between the two nations — Addis Ababa has been a target of attacks by al-Shabaab militants and has sought to extend its longstanding participation in the mission.
The UN Security Council agreed on Dec. 27 to renew the peacekeeping force’s mandate in Somalia, though it failed to come up with “sustainable financing mechanisms” to fund the operation, according to a January report by Balqiis Insights, a Mogadishu-based thinktank.
–With assistance from Mohammed Omar Ahmed.
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