Somalia president to visit Ethiopia in latest peace push

Somalia's president will visit Ethiopia on Saturday, his office said, as the two countries look to build on a recent peace deal that aims to defuse mounting tensions in the Horn of Africa.

Land-locked Ethiopia's desire for access to the sea has deepened long-standing grievances with its neighbours in the volatile region.

Somalia was outraged when Ethiopia signed a deal one year ago with its breakaway region of Somaliland, reportedly to recognise its independence in exchange for a port and military base on the Red Sea.

The diplomatic furore was defused by a peace deal signed last month by Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, which was mediated by Turkey.

Mohamud's office said he would visit the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Saturday at Abiy's request.

"This visit builds on the recent agreement reached in Ankara. This renewed cooperation underscores a new era of collaboration between Somalia and Ethiopia," it said.

- Cairo FM meeting -

But many questions remain unresolved.

Although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last month's deal would eventually give Ethiopia some form of sea access, it is not clear how that would happen.

The fate of Ethiopia's deal with Somaliland is also uncertain.

And the continued tensions were on display in Cairo on Saturday when Somalia's Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi met with his Egyptian and Eritrean counterparts.

The three countries have lately found common ground in opposing Ethiopia's ambitions and made a veiled reference to their rival.

"The Red Sea and its security is subject only to the will of the countries on its coast, and it is absolutely unacceptable for any country not bordering the Red Sea to have a presence, whether military, naval or otherwise," Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said.

Egypt, Eritrea and Somalia forged a new regional alliance in October at a summit in Asmara, and the foreign ministers said Saturday that more would follow.

Shared concerns about Ethiopia have also pushed Egypt and Somalia into closer military ties, with Egyptian troops joining the updated international coalition to fight Somalian Islamist insurgents, the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), that launched this month.