Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says Somalia is ready to allow landlocked Ethiopia to use two or three Somali ports for imports and exports, provided the two countries reach an agreement.
MOGADISHU, Somalia (Somali Report) — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Somalia is prepared to allow landlocked Ethiopia to use two or three Somali ports for imports and exports, in the clearest indication yet of Mogadishu’s willingness to offer Addis Ababa commercial access to the sea.
Hassan made the comments in an interview with Al Jazeera, days after meeting Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa, where the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and political and security developments in the Horn of Africa.
“We are ready to allow Ethiopia to use two or three Somali ports to import and export goods,” Hassan said, without identifying the ports.
The president said Somalia had no objection to Ethiopia, which has no coastline, obtaining commercial access to the sea, but stressed that any arrangement must be agreed upon by the two governments.
He said economic agreements could regulate taxes, fees and other issues linked to the use of Somali ports.
Hassan also said Ethiopia had told Somalia that it needed access to the sea but had not yet submitted a formal request setting out the type of access or agreement it was seeking.
His comments came four days after his Sept. 29 working visit to Addis Ababa at Abiy’s request. The meeting was seen as part of efforts to improve relations between the neighbouring countries following tensions over Ethiopia’s pursuit of maritime access.
Neither government announced a new agreement on port access after the meeting.
Ankara framework
The issue has been governed in principle by an agreement brokered by Turkey in December 2024, when Somalia and Ethiopia agreed to pursue negotiations on Ethiopia’s access to the sea while respecting Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Under the Ankara Declaration, Ethiopia could obtain secure, sustainable and reliable access to the sea through mutually agreed commercial arrangements, including leases or similar agreements.
Technical negotiations between the two countries began in Ankara in February 2025, but no final agreement on a specific Somali port has been publicly announced.
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The dispute dates back to January 2024, when Ethiopia signed a memorandum with Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, under which Addis Ababa sought access to the coast. Somaliland said the arrangement was linked to the possibility of Ethiopia recognizing its claim to independence.
Somalia rejected the deal as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, triggering a major diplomatic dispute with Ethiopia.
The Ankara process subsequently shifted the issue toward direct negotiations between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa.
What Ethiopia is seeking
The precise nature of Ethiopia’s demand remains unclear.
Ethiopian officials have repeatedly described maritime access as a strategic economic and security priority for the country, while also saying the issue should be pursued through dialogue and diplomatic channels.
Hassan’s proposal appears to focus on commercial access rather than the transfer of sovereign control over territory or a port. The president did not specify which ports could be offered, the duration of any possible arrangement, or how access would be managed.
The distinction could prove important as the two sides seek to translate the Ankara framework into a concrete agreement.
For Somalia, allowing Ethiopia to use multiple ports could provide an economic opportunity through port fees, taxes and related trade, while potentially addressing Ethiopia’s need for alternative routes for its imports and exports.
But any agreement would need to resolve practical questions, including transport corridors, customs arrangements, security responsibilities and the terms governing Ethiopia’s use of the facilities.
Hassan’s comments therefore open the possibility of a broader commercial solution, but no formal proposal has yet been made public by either side.
For now, the Somali president said, Ethiopia has yet to submit an official request detailing what it wants — leaving the next step to negotiations between the two governments.
About the Author
Ahmed Omar is a senior journalist for Somali Report, based in Mogadishu. He has two decades of experience reporting on Somalia for international and local media. He covers politics, security, governance, business, trade, economic developments and regional affairs.
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