Somalia: Somalia accuses Ethiopia of shipping arms to Puntland
Somalia has accused Ethiopia of supplying weapons to its northeastern Puntland region amid growing tensions between the Horn of Africa neighbours.
There is a history of stormy relations between Ethiopia and Somalia. Tensions increased on January 1 when Addis Ababa signed a deal with another northern region of Somalia — the breakaway territory of Somaliland — which remains an unrecognized entity in the Horn of Africa.
“Somalia strongly condemns the unauthorised arms shipments from Ethiopia to Somalia’s Puntland region, violating our sovereignty and threatening regional security,” the foreign ministry in Mogadishu said on X late on Friday.
“We demand an immediate halt and call on international partners to support peace efforts in the Horn of Africa.”
Puntland, a federal member state of Somalia, unilaterally declared itself an independent state in January following a row with the central government over changes to the constitution.