Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed has reached an agreement with Somaliland, a breakaway portion of Somalia, to secure access to the latter’s ports. Somalia has rejected the agreement as a sovereignty violation, calling it an “act of aggression.”  Since the secession of Eritrea in 1991 left it the largest landlocked country in the world, Ethiopia has been searching for access to the Red Sea. In exchange for port access, Somaliland will gain shares in Ethiopian Airlines and a pathway to official recognition. For their part, Ethiopia has downplayed the implications of the agreement for Somaliland’s status as an independent country.

South Africa is the first country to file a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice. South Africa’s petition argues that Israel’s aerial bombardment of Gaza, forced displacement, and blockade of food, water, and medical assistance amounts to genocide. While decisions of the ICJ cannot be vetoed, they also have not been enforced in the past.

• Egypt and Ethiopia are among five new countries to formally join the BRICS. The new additions, announced months ago, came into effect on 1 January 2024.
• Rotimi Akeredolu, Governor of Ondo State in Nigeria, died in Germany after a long struggle with prostate cancer and leukaemia. Akeredolu had refused to hand over power to his deputy throughout his illness.
• Protests in Goma as the DRC’s opposition parties reject Tshisekedi’s election win.

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Image: Muse Bihi Abdi, president of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland. 17 December 2020. Photo credit: Somaliland Standard.