The Somali community in Finland strongly condemns the Ethiopian government’s actions against the sovereignty and independence of Somalia regarding the Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland on January 1, 2024. The Memorandum of Understanding is not in accordance with the charters of the African Union or the UN, nor with international agreements, and it endangers the stability of East Africa. Our appeal to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland is that Finland strives to influence the issue by promoting peace in the region. We want Finland to clarify its position on how Finland tries to influence the situation, so that the escalation of the situation can be avoided.

The Somali community in Finland is deeply concerned about these events and stands strongly alongside the government and the people of Somalia, defending their borders, both land and sea, and the integrity of their airspace. We hope that these events will not lead to an increase in refugees.

We strongly believe that the principles of good neighborliness, mutual respect and international law should guide relations between sovereign states. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Ethiopian government and the Somaliland administration on January 1, 2024 has been widely condemned internationally.

We hope that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, in accordance with the Africa strategy, will promote peace in the East African region and take the issue seriously and condemn actions that increase instability and its risk in the region.

Respectfully,

Finnish Somali League