MOGADISHU – Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Ahmed Ahmed arrived in Somalia yesterday for talks with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud aimed at building on a fragile reconciliation.

They will hold talks “on security, politics and diplomacy, economics and the fight against terrorism in the region”, the Somali government said in a statement.

Security officials at the airport said Ahmed’s delegation had safely left without incident.

However, residents reported mortar attacks in areas near the airport shortly after they departed for the presidential palace.

It was not clear if the attacks were linked to Ahmed’s arrival. Somalia remains highly volatile, with the Islamist Al-Shabaab group maintaining a heavy presence in the country.

“Two rounds of mortar shells landed in the Bulohubey neighbourhood. An elderly woman was wounded after the shell exploded close to her house,” resident Abdiraham Hassan told AFP.

A member of Ethiopia’s delegation told AFP they were unaware of mortar attacks.

Tension between the two countries mounted last year after Ethiopia struck a deal with the Somali breakaway region of Somaliland to gain access to the sea.

But they announced a complete restoration of diplomatic ties in January following a peace deal mediated by Turkey the previous month. A source in the Somali presidential palace told AFP on Wednesday on condition of anonymity that Ahmed’s visit was “part of a broader effort to complete and implement the Ankara agreement”, referring to the deal struck in the Turkish capital.

Somaliland said its January 2024 deal with Ethiopia would have led to Addis Ababa recognising its independence – though never confirmed – in exchange for a long-desired naval base for the land-locked nation.

Mogadishu was furious over the deal and withdrew its ambassador from Ethiopia.

Following the rapprochement, Ethiopia’s deal with Somaliland remains uncertain. – Nampa/AFP