Somalia accuses Ethiopia of planning attack on its waters, targeting Arab countries bordering Red Sea

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre accused Ethiopia's government on Wednesday of planning an attack on Somali waters and targeting Arab countries bordering the Red Sea.

Addressing the Arab League emergency meeting virtually from the capital Mogadishu, Barre said Addis Ababa intends to create a new demographic reality in the region.

He called on Arab countries to stand in solidarity with Somalia and join hands to confront and “thwart the Ethiopian plan.”

“I highlighted the dangerous plan by Ethiopia to control the entrances to the Red Sea, threatening global trade and navigation,” he said in a brief statement on X following his speech.

Barre's virtual address comes hours after Mogadishu turned away an “unauthorized” Ethiopian plane bound for Somaliland from Somali airspace.

Relations between the two neighboring nations have soured since Ethiopia signed the Red Sea access deal with Somaliland.

Somalia has rejected the agreement, claiming it is "illegitimate," a threat to good neighborliness, and a violation of its sovereignty.

It also recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia after the deal was signed on Jan. 1.

The Ethiopian government has defended its decision, claiming that the agreement "will affect no party or country."

The deal allows Ethiopia to obtain a permanent and reliable naval base and commercial maritime service in the Gulf of Aden.

Ethiopia lost its Red Sea ports in the early 1990s after the Eritrean War of Independence, which lasted from 1961 to 1991.

In 1991, Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, leading to the establishment of two separate nations. The separation resulted in Ethiopia losing direct access to the Red Sea and key ports.