Somalia President
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud has accused Ethiopian security personnel of attempting to prevent him from attending the African Union meeting, which Mogadishu described as provocative conduct.
Mohamoud’s comments on Saturday come amid a conflict between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu over a treaty between Ethiopia and the breakaway territory of Somaliland that would grant the landlocked country long-desired sea access.
“This morning when I prepared myself to come and attend the closed session of the summit, the Ethiopian security blocked my way,” Mohamoud told reporters in Addis Ababa, after later gaining entry to the venue for the meeting.
He stated he attempted again with another head of state, Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh, but they were again denied access to the AU headquarters.
Ethiopia quickly responded, saying it had warmly welcomed Mohamoud and given him the full honors of visiting heads of state and governments at the conference.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s spokeswoman, Billene Seyoum, said that the Somalia delegation was stopped when its security detail attempted to enter a venue armed.
“The Somali delegation security attempted to enter the AUC premises with weapons which was blocked off by AUC security,” she said.
In a statement, Somalia’s foreign ministry stated it strongly condemns the provocative attempt by the Ethiopian government to obstruct the delegation.
It requested that the AU conduct a credible and independent investigation (into) this outrageous conduct.
“Given that Ethiopia hosts the African Union headquarters, its leadership and government must treat all African leaders equally,” the Somali government statement said.
“Hosting the AU is both an honor and a privilege for Ethiopia; however, if its government fails to uphold this honor and responsibility with the necessary decorum, it may be necessary for the African Union to reevaluate the location of its headquarters,” the statement added.
