Eritrean leader’s visit to former rival Somalia cements Horn of Africa peace

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki landed in Somalia for the first time on Thursday, completing a stunning year of peace building in the battle-scarred Horn of Africa.

Mr Isaias, who has ruled his reclusive nation with an iron fist for the past 25 years, embraced President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on the runway at Mogadishu before heading to the Somali president’s office for talks.

Somalia and Eritrea have endured years of sour relations, exacerbated by the latter’s 20year war with Ethiopia.

Somalia had accused Eritrea of supplying weapons to extremist groups and when Ethiopian soldiers entered Somalia to tackle the insurgents in 2007, Eritrea stormed out of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Horn of Africa’s answer to the GCC.

But in July – after Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, came to power – Ethiopia and Eritrea announced an end to the war, beginning a peace process that led to embassies and borders being reopened as well as communications, trade and travel links being re-established.

Hundreds of families, kept apart for years, were reunited.

Peace between two of Africa’s arch foes triggered a domino effect, as the region’s four constituent countries – Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia – set about fixing ties.

In July, Mr Mohamed travelled to Eritrea, where he and Mr Isaias agreed to establish diplomatic relations and promote trade. In September, Eritrea and Djibouti ended a decade-long border dispute over Dumeira mountain and Dumeira island in the Red Sea.

The next day, Addis Ababa hosted South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar, who signed a peace agreement. Their personal feud created a five-year civil war that killed an estimated 383,000 people.

In November, the UN Security Council lifted sanctions on Eritrea first imposed in 2009. Observers hope the country – nicknamed the North Korea of Africa – will take steps to shed its pariah status.

“President Isaias’s historic visit [to Somalia] is part and parcel of the consultative Tripartite Summits of the Heads of State and Government of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia,”

Eritrea’s information minister, Yemane Meskel, tweeted.

The great potential of the Horn of Africa, which straddles the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden – vital international shipping routes – has long been thwarted by conflict.

Ethiopia, where Mr Abiy is overseeing sweeping reforms, has a young, 100 million-strong population and is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

Djibouti and Somalia guard vital sea corridors, while Eritrea has significant oil and gas reserves.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have strengthened ties in the Horn recently, playing a role in the Ethiopia and Eritrea deal.