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Third African Department, Soviet Foreign Ministry,
Information Report on Somali-Ethiopian Territorial Disputes, 2
February 1977
SOMALIA
’S TERRITORIAL
DISAGREEMENTS WITH
ETHIOPIA
AND THE POSITION OF
THE
USSR
(Brief Information Sheet)
Somalia
claims a significant part of Ethiopian territory (the
Ogaden region) on the basis of the fact that a large number of
Somalis live there (around 1 million people).
Ethiopia
totally rejects the territorial claims of the SDR, basing
its position on the fact that the borders with
Somalia
were set by
international agreements, particularly the Agreement on the
demilitarization of the Ethiopia-Somalia border, which was signed
in 1908 between
Ethiopia
and
Italy
. They also refer to the resolution
of the OAU which was accepted in
Cairo
in 1964, which says that
all African states must recognize the borders which existed at the
moment when they were granted independence.
The tension in relations with
Somalia
led imperial
Ethiopia
to
draw close to
Kenya
(the Somalis did not decline either from
demanding the unification with
Somalia
of the Northern border
region of
Kenya
, which is populated by Somalis) on an anti-Somali
basis. In 1963 there was a Treaty on joint defense signed between
the two countries.
At the beginning of 1964 a direct military confrontation broke
out between
Ethiopia
and
Somalia
, although the conflict was soon
settled through the mediation of the OAU. The Soviet government
also called on both sides with an appeal to quickly cease fire and to
resolve all disputed issues in a peaceful way.
During 1970-71 a series of Ethiopia-Somalia negotiations were
conducted which ended without result. At the end of 1972-
beginning of 1973 a series of border incidents broke out (in the
regions of Washen, Bongol, Dolo, and others) which were smoothed
over by peaceful means.
The tension in relations between
Ethiopia
and
Somalia
many
times attracted the attention of the Organization of African Unity.
However, efforts to find a mutually acceptable solution to the
territorial argument between
Ethiopia
and
Somalia
within the
framework of the OAU so far have yielded no result.
At the session of the OAU Assembly which took place in Addis
Ababa in January 1976, two meetings took place, at Siad Barre’s
initiative, between him and the chairman of the PMAC of Ethiopia,
during which the question of bilateral relations was raised. The
leaders of both countries asserted that the exchange of opinions was
productive, and expressed the intention to continue the dialogue.
Practical steps in this direction, however, were not undertaken.
The Somali leaders, though they stress that the issue must be
resolved by peaceful means, as in the past do not repudiate the
demand about the unification of the Ogaden with
Somalia
.
According to available information, the Somalis continue their
activity in the Ogaden, throwing their armed detachments in there
under the command of line officers.
The new Ethiopian leadership, refusing to discuss the territorial
issue, expresses readiness to conduct negotiations on the
demilitarization of the existing border and speaks out in favor of the
development of economic, cultural, and other relations with the
SDR. click for more
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