Somalia has threatened to suspend Ethiopian Airlines flights in response to a territorial dispute

A territorial dispute has prompted Somalia to threaten to halt all Ethiopian Airlines flights into its country.

August 21, 2024, saw a statement from the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) stating that the airline had not addressed issues pertaining to Somali sovereignty.

Following the signing of a deal in January 2024 between Ethiopia and the separatist area of Somaliland, which granted Ethiopia access to 20 kilometers of Somaliland’s coastline for 50 years in return for recognizing the territory, the issue intensified.

Tensions between the two nations are heightened as a result of Somalia’s perception that this agreement directly violates its sovereignty.

In addition, the SCAA voiced dissatisfaction with Ethiopian Airlines’ recent moves, which it says compromise Somalia’s sovereignty and include removing Somali destination names from its systems.

The deadline for Ethiopian Airlines to resolve these problems is August 23, 2024; failing that, all flights to Somalia would be halted.