Erdogan to visit Ethiopia and Somalia in early 2025 after landmark peace deal

Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Ethiopia and Somalia early next year after brokering a historic agreement to end nearly a year of tensions between the Horn of Africa countries.

“Thanks to their cooperation, we signed [the deal] and we finished the job,” said Erdogan at an event with young people in Turkiye’s eastern province of Erzurum. “We went to our press conference room and announced it to the world. I told them, ‘God willing, I will visit Ethiopia and Somalia in the first two months of next year and we will announce this step we have taken to the world’.”

The peace deal, reached in Ankara on 11 December, saw Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud agree to resolve a bitter dispute that began in January. Ethiopia had struck a controversial deal with Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland, leasing a coastline for a port and military base.

In exchange, Somaliland claimed that Ethiopia would formally recognise its independence, a move unconfirmed by Addis Ababa. Mogadishu condemned the deal as a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty, sparking fears of renewed conflict in the region.

Turkiye mediated the crisis through three rounds of talks, culminating in the Ankara Declaration. Erdogan hailed the breakthrough as “a beautiful future for Africa.” The African Union, Washington, and Brussels praised Turkiye’s role, which Erdogan attributed to Ankara’s strong ties with both sides. The leaders of both countries also expressed gratitude to Erdogan for brokering the agreement.

Erdogan highlighted Turkiye’s longstanding support for Somalia, including economic investments and counterterrorism efforts, and its aid to Ethiopia in defence and the economy. “When we are sincere, when our intentions are good, anything can happen,” he said.

On Friday, Erdogan offered to mediate between Sudan and the UAE amid the ongoing civil war in the African state. The war, which erupted in April, has killed tens of thousands and displaced over 11 million people.

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