Sub-Saharan Africa
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Somalia Not Planning to Start War With Ethiopia, Says President

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - On January 2, Somalia recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia, one day after Addis Ababa inked a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland that granted the landlocked Horn of Africa nation access to the Red Sea. On January 6, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signed a law nullifying the agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia.
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Somalia has no plans or intention to start a war with Ethiopia after the latter increased interaction with the breakaway region of Somaliland, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said on Sunday.

"We have no plans or intentions to start a war with Ethiopia... If Ethiopia starts doing crazy things, we will need support from everywhere," the president was quoted as saying by Al Arabiya broadcaster.

He also noted that the memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland is a violation of international law and "a tool for recruiting extremists."
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sea Access Deal Between Ethiopia & Self-Proclaimed Somaliland Unacceptable, Egyptian President Says
Last week, the Somali Foreign Ministry said that the East African country will not accept any mediation efforts from third parties to normalize relations with Ethiopia unless Addis Ababa revokes its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the breakaway region of Somaliland.
Under the deal, unrecognized Somaliland's leadership said Addis Ababa would "formally recognise the Republic of Somaliland" but this has not been confirmed by the government in Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia, for its part, said the deal with Somaliland was aimed at giving the landlocked nation access to the Red Sea and helping Africa's second most populous country play an important role in regional peace and security.
Somalia collapsed as a unified nation in 1991 with the downfall of Siad Barre's dictatorship. The international community recognized the Mogadishu-based federal government as the only legitimate authority in Somalia, while chunks of the country in the north and east remain under the control of self-proclaimed and unrecognized Somaliland and Puntland.