Press Review CW 3/2025: balancing act
Revue de presse 10.1.2025 jusqu'à 17.1.2025

Malheureusement, ce numéro de la revue de presse n’est actuellement disponible qu’en allemand et en anglais.

Ethiopia and Somalia resume diplomatic relations

 

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was received by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa last Saturday. The two sides agreed to restore and strengthen bilateral relations, according to a joint statement published afterwards. This is to be ensured, among other things, by the resumption of unrestricted diplomatic representation in their respective capitals. In addition, the two sides will co-operate more closely in regional and multilateral forums in the future. Both sides also agreed to improve joint security co-operation and to work together more effectively in the fight against extremist groups in the region. To strengthen economic relations, particularly in the area of trade and investment, infrastructure projects such as trade routes and economic corridors connecting Ethiopia with Somalia’s access to the Red Sea are to be implemented. Both countries also reaffirmed the commitments of the so-called Ankara Declaration, which both parties agreed to last December under the negotiating leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and emphasised that they wanted to accelerate the technical negotiations provided for therein.

The meeting is regarded as a significant sign of rapprochement after the two Horn of Africa states broke off diplomatic relations last year. This break was the result of the signing of a memorandum of understanding in which Ethiopia and Somaliland signed a contract to build a naval base on the Red Sea. In return, the prospect of recognising the independence of Somaliland, a de facto autonomous region that nevertheless belongs to Somalia under international law, was held out (press review CW 2/2024). Mogadishu saw this move as an attack on its sovereignty and lodged a complaint against Addis Ababa in all international forums, including the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN). In the months that followed, Somalia threatened to expel all Ethiopian troops from its territory. Ethiopia had long played a central role in the AU missions in Somalia, supporting the country both in the fight against the terrorist militia Al-Shabaab and in reconstruction through various bilateral agreements. While Ethiopia was still a central troop contributor to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), Mogadishu indicated last year that it would reject the participation of Ethiopian troops in the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which replaced ATMIS on 1 January 2025. Bilateral relations deteriorated further when Somalia concluded a defence pact with Ethiopia’s regional rival Egypt in August, with Egypt holding out the prospect of participating in AUSSOM (press review CW 33/2024). Following the rapprochement between the two countries last December, Ethiopian Defence Minister Aisha Mohamed Mussa travelled to Somalia on 2 January to clarify Ethiopia’s role in AUSSOM – the first official visit since the rift. However, details of the talks held were not made public.

Despite the rapprochement between Ethiopia and Somalia, the situation in the Horn of Africa remains tense. In recent months, Somalia has not only moved closer to Ethiopia’s arch-rival Egypt, but also to Eritrea. On the same day as the meeting between Mohamud and Ahmed, trilateral talks were also held between the foreign ministers of Somalia, Eritrea and Egypt. Among other things, it was stated that the presence of a country without direct coastal access – such as Ethiopia – on the Red Sea would not be accepted. This contradicts the Ankara Declaration, in which Mogadishu and Addis Ababa declared their willingness to negotiate the use of a port by Ethiopia in the neighbouring state. The validity of last years memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland also remains unclear. It therefore remains to be seen how the situation in the region will develop.

 

Ruling party wins parliamentary elections in the Comoros

 

On Tuesday evening, the National Electoral Commission (CENI) announced the preliminary results of Sunday’s parliamentary elections. According to the results, the ruling party Convention pour le Renouveau des Comores (CRC) won 28 of the 33 parliamentary seats up for election in the first round of voting. The opposition coalition l’Opposition unie des Comores (OUC) was able to secure three seats. Meanwhile, in the constituencies of Itsandra Sud and Nyumakele 3, no candidate was able to secure an absolute majority in the first round of voting. A second round of voting will now take place here on 16 February, at the same time as the local elections. However, Daoudou Abdallah Mohamed, the spokesperson for the OUC, announced on Monday that the party would withdraw from the election and not take part in the second round. The reason for the decision was due to serious irregularities that had been discovered during the first round. According to reports, some polling stations had opened late and opposition observers who had reported vote tampering had been expelled from the premises. The Le Pari party and Fahmi Said Ibrahim El Maceli, who ran as a non-party candidate, also denounced electoral fraud, but will also take part in the second round of voting.

A total of 380,000 of the approximately 800,000 inhabitants of the East African island state were eligible to vote, with a voter turnout of around 70% according to the electoral commission. In the run-up to the election, there were already concerns about a lack of transparency on election day, which is why Juwa, the largest opposition party and party of former President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, boycotted the election. Government circles have relativised the opposition’s criticism. Interior Minister Mahamoud Fakridine, who is also responsible for the elections, admitted that there were some organisational problems, but reiterated that the people had decided and that this should be respected. The president’s political advisor criticised the OUC’s decision to withdraw from the second round of voting and emphasised that they would try to convince the opposition to continue the election process together. The preliminary election results still have to be confirmed by the Constitutional Court; the opposition has until today to lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court.

Juwa boycotted the last parliamentary elections in 2020 and the opposition levelled accusations of electoral fraud against President Azali Assoumani’s ruling party. The latter secured 22 of the 24 parliamentary seats up for election in the last election; the number of seats was increased to 33 by an amendment to the electoral law in 2023. Assoumani, who was only confirmed as president last year, was already criticised before the 2024 presidential election for his government’s autocratic reforms (press review CW 3/2024). In 2018, he made his renewed candidacy possible by amending the constitution. Most recently, his opponents accused him of appointing his eldest son Nour El Fath as Secretary General of the government in order to position his own successor and thus ensure the continuation of his policies. Upon taking office, El Fath took over the majority of the country’s government affairs. According to official figures, he won his constituency in the parliamentary elections on Sunday with 85% of the votes cast in the first electoral ballot.

 

In other news

 

The annual Vodun Days came to an end on Saturday in the coastal town of Ouidah in Benin. The three-day festival is dedicated to the history of voodoo and includes a range of concerts, exhibitions and ceremonies. The aim is to preserve the culture of voodoo and break down negative stereotypes that are often associated with the 500-year-old religion. Instead of magic, dolls, superstition or the punishment of others, voodoo centres on spirituality, says the director of the Python Temple in Benin. For many visitors, the Vodun Days also offer an opportunity to come to terms with their origins, the past and the historical injustices of the slave trade. Voodoo spread worldwide during the transatlantic slave trade, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean. The festival now offers participants the opportunity to explore their cultural roots and learn more about a religion that exerted a significant influence on the African diaspora. But there are also economic hopes associated with the festivities. The Beninese government sees the Vodun Days as a platform for attracting international attention and thus foreign investors.

 

Note: ASA Programme 2025

 

Until 25 January 2025, students and young people with vocational training between the ages of 21 and 30 can apply for over 100 projects abroad in the ASA programme. The programme comprises three to six-month projects in countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and South-East Europe as well as seminars for preparation and follow-up. This year also includes exciting ASA university programmes in Burundi, Mozambique and Namibia. Engagement Global awards 280 scholarships each year on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Further information and the application portal can be found here:
https://asa.engagement-global.de/

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