Abdirashid Hashi has accused Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali of jeopardizing the joint fight against the Al-Shabaab terrorist group by threatening to recognize the breakaway region of Somaliland.
In a tweet directed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Abdirashid Hashi, a prominent Somali analyst and former government official, argued that Ethiopia’s move to recognize Somaliland comes at a critical time when Somalia is already grappling with the internal threat of Al-Shabaab.
“Somalia cannot simultaneously battle the terror group Al Shabaab, build a democratic, stable country, and defend its territory from Abiy Ahmed Ali’s recent naked aggression,” Hashi wrote. “The Ethiopian Premier is attempting to dismember Somalia by saying he will recognize a province (Somaliland) in the pretext of seizing Somalia’s territory and port by force.”
Hashi further emphasized the strategic partnership between Somalia and the United States in combating Al-Shabaab, highlighting the benefits for both countries and the wider Horn of Africa region. He urged the US government to intervene and prevent Ethiopia’s actions from undermining the ongoing fight against the terrorist group.
“Somalia and the United States are partners in battling and halting Al Shabaab,” Hashi stated. “This not only helps Somalia but the countries in the Horn including Ethiopia. Your government should not allow Abiy Ahmed’s obsession with other people’s ports to undermine the Somali government and its people’s ongoing, costly and successful struggle against Al Shabaab terrorists.”
To @SecBlinken,
Excellency,
Somalia cannot simultaneously battle the terror group Al Shabaab, build a democratic, stable country, and defend its territory from @AbiyAhmedAli's recent naked aggression. The Ethiopian Premier is attempting to dismember Somalia ( by saying he will… pic.twitter.com/GpiAo9kCZz
— Abdirashid Hashi (@AnalystSomalia) January 3, 2024