The appeal comes after tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia have flared since Monday, January 1, when the latter country signed a 50-year maritime access deal with the Somalian separatist region of Somaliland.

The African Union on Thursday, January 4, joined the United States in appealing for calm in the Horn of Africa after regional tensions soared following a contested deal on Monday between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland.

AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat issued a statement appealing for “calm and mutual respect to de-escalate the simmering tension” between Ethiopia and Somalia. He called on the two nations to engage in a negotiation process “without delay” to settle their differences. Faki also urged them to “refrain from any action that unintentionally may lead to a deterioration of the good relations between the two neighboring Eastern African countries.” “He stresses the imperative to respect unity, territorial integrity and full sovereignty of all African Union member states,” the statement said.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) gives landlocked Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous country, long-desired access to the Red Sea through Somaliland. The wide-ranging deal signed in Addis Ababa gives Ethiopia access to commercial maritime services and a military base, with Somaliland leasing it 20 kilometers (12 miles) of coastline for 50 years.
Somaliland’s leader Muse Bihi Abdi has said that in exchange, Ethiopia would “fully recognise” Somaliland but this has not been confirmed by Addis Ababa.

Somalia has vowed to defend its territory after Monday’s agreement, which it described as an “aggression” and a “blatant assault” on its sovereignty by neighboring Ethiopia.

The United States on Wednesday rejected international recognition for the separatist region and also called for talks to resolve the crisis. “The United States recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia within its 1960 borders,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. “We join other partners in expressing our serious concern,” he said, “about the resulting spike in tensions in the Horn of Africa.” “We urge all stakeholders to engage in diplomatic dialogue.”

Somaliland, a former British protectorate of about 4.5 million people, declared independence from Somalia in 1991, a move not recognized internationally and staunchly opposed by Mogadishu.