Geopolitical Ramifications of Ethiopia's Port Deal with Somaliland
In 2024, Ethiopia signed a deal with Somaliland's President Muse Bihi Abdi, granting the landlocked country direct commercial and military access to the Red Sea. Somaliland agreed to lease a military port in the Gulf of Aden and 20 kilometers of Somaliland's coastline to Ethiopia for 50 years, in return for Somaliland's formal recognition as a sovereign state and a portion of Ethiopian Airlines' shares.