Somalis are holding a protest called “One Million March” against the agreement of independent Somaliland with Ethiopia.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the capital Mogadishu to protest the accord signed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somaliland President Moses Bihi Abdi. According to the agreement, Somaliland will give Ethiopian access to the Gulf of Aden, and Ethiopia will recognize Somaliland.
But whether the Ethiopian government will recognize Somaliland has yet to be answered. The national channel of Somalia, Somali National TV, reported that protesters gathered and attended the rally, playing national music.
BBC Somalia reports that several roads have been closed for the rally and security has been beefed up. Somali National TV reported that the Minister of Interior Ahmed Moalim Fiqi addressed the crowd in Mogadishu Street.
“As long as we are alive, Ethiopia will not touch Somali land,” a protester said, the station showed. Thousands of demonstrators sang songs praising Somalia and chanted slogans such as ‘The people of Somalia will defend their country’.
the demonstrators came to the square “to protest Ethiopia’s irresponsible actions.” They also stated that they are ready to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Somalia.
The Secretary General of the Organization of the Nations, Antonio Guterres, in a telephone conversation with the President of Somalia, Hassan Mahmoud, asked all parties to follow a peaceful path and refrain from actions that lead to a stalemate.
