PM Abiy meets Somali President amid tensions over Jubaland administration
Ethiomonitor -Addis Ababa
October 13, 2025
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met today with Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for discussions on “bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest,” according to a brief statement posted by PM Abiy.
Villa Somalia, in its statement, said the two leaders met at the National Palace in Addis Abeba for a tête-à-tête meeting, during which they discussed “strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing developmental cooperation based on good neighborliness, mutual respect, and shared prosperity, while upholding the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of both nations.”
The meeting comes amid reports that Mogadishu is moving to establish a parallel Jubaland administration in the Gedo region, a plan Ethiopia and Kenya have reportedly opposed.
According to Somali local outlet Somali Guardian, senior Ethiopian military and intelligence officials visited the border town of Dolow over the weekend and warned local elders that any attempt to create a rival administration would be viewed as a threat to Ethiopia’s national security and regional stability.
Last week, regional leaders of Jubaland and Puntland, together with opposition figures under the Somali Salvation Forum, met in Nairobi and announced the formation of the Somali Future Council, aimed at coordinating political efforts toward a stable political transition in Somalia.
These back-to-back developments come as Addis Abeba and Mogadishu continue to rebuild diplomatic ties following months of strained relations between the two leaders in the wake of the Ethiopia–Somaliland MoU controversy.
