Somalia appeals to NAM over Ethiopia dispute

A call to protect and respect the independence and sovereignty of Somalia, the newest member of the East African Community (EAC) was at the forefront as 93 countries kicked off the 19th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) on January 15.

Speaking during the senior officials meeting, Somalia’s permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Hamza Adan Haadow, said it is not proper for NAM countries to look on as some of their neighbours choose to violate their territorial integrity.

“Our borders must be respected and upheld in accordance with international law…,” he told fellow delegates. 

Mr Haadow’s remarks come barely two weeks after Ethiopia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the breakaway region of Somaliland, which opened the door to an agreement to exchange a stake in flagship carrier Ethiopian Airlines for access to the Gulf of Aden.

The agreement, which the Mogadishu administration says is an act of aggression and violation of its sovereignty, has resulted in increased tensions in the restive Horn of Africa region. 

Ethiopia has courted controversy by recognising the disputed independence of Somaliland, a course of action condemned by Somalia.

In an Interview with Daily Monitor on the sidelines of the ongoing six-day summit, Mr Hadoow said they want NAM states to make their issue a priority during the NAM discussions because it is affecting unity, peace and development in the region.

“We are requesting the head of delegates of NAM to support us as a nation which is recovering from conflict. We want them to assist us to safeguard our sovereignty and unity because we have seen some of our neighbouring countries have a memorandum of understanding with some regional states and this threatens our unity and peace,” he said.

“We believe that the peace we had will return if the NAM members stand with us,” he said

Somalia has been embroiled in a civil war since 1988 when its armed forces started fighting against various armed rebel groups, which prompted the United Nations to deploy a peacekeeping force there.

The force, which started as the African Union Mission in Somalia, before being renamed the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia in 2022, is in advanced stages of withdrawing in December 2024 to enable the country manage her own affairs.

Equally dominating deliberations yesterday was the issue of Israel’s war on Palestine, with Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations calling it a tragedy. 

The country wants the movement to pronounce itself on the bombardment of Gaza by Israel, call for an immediate ceasefire, offer humanitarian aid and escalate the matter to the UN General Assembly. 

“I was hoping we can convert the conference into one that is in solidarity with the Palestinian people. I believe it will be. The onslaught and aggression that we are facing for 100 days is unprecedented and I know that the movement that supported Palestine from the beginning will continue to support Palestine until we put an end to this tragedy and accomplish the rights of the Palestinian people,” Mr Riyad Mansour said.

The NAM has long supported the idea of a two state solution to address the Israeli-Palestine conflict. 

Mr Mansour said: “We were united and succeeded in getting the resolution in the general assembly and the UN Security Council but did not get a moment of having ceasefire which we are still pushing. This summit is an opportunity for us to strengthen our demands around these objectives and also to be prepared for other things we need to do as a movement”.

Over 23,000 people have been killed and thousands more displaced in Gaza since October 2023.  Countries including Algeria, Iran, Egypt, Morocco, and Pakistan expressed their support for Palestine

Uganda speaks
In his welcome remarks, Foreign Affairs minister, Gen Jeje Odongo called for collective approach to global crises. 

“NAM remains an important organisation and given the increasingly complex international situation, the ten Bandung Principles continue to be as relevant today. Today we are faced with several challenges including security, health pandemics, climate change and terrorism among the many,” he said

Gen Odongo also told delegates that “we also recognise challenges in funding for investments and the very serious issue of the debt burden that paints a very depressing global economic outlook. It is therefore crucial for us to address existing, new and emerging issues collectively and in the interest of our membership and for the sake of mankind”.

The first item on the agenda, the plenary session of senior officials, was chaired by Uganda’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, during which Uganda officially assumed chairmanship of NAM for the next three years

This opening session, however, was punctuated by sound glitches with microphones failing and some delegates having to wait a bit for an alternative microphone before giving their submissions.

Mr Ayebare last week said that he will ensure that different delegates agree on one position and ensure that the outcome document is prepared for the countries’ heads of states and ministers to adopt and take action.