Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) is threatening to block Ethiopian Airlines flights in its airspace if the Ethiopian company does not remove all references to Somaliland from its website by tomorrow. This is the ultimatum that the SCAA issued in a notice to the Ethiopian flag carrier and largest African airline, as well as to Dubai Aviation Corporation, an Emirati company trading as Flydubai.

“If these issues are not resolved by August 23, the SCAA will have no choice but to suspend all Ethiopian Airlines flights to Somalia,” an official from the agency told Garowe online, underlining the seriousness of the situation. The dispute is linked to the ongoing dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia over the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Ethiopia with Somaliland, a region that claims autonomy that is not recognized by Mogadishu or internationally.

The agreement provides for Ethiopia to gain access to the sea from the port of Hargheisa – which it has not had since Eritrea gained independence in 1993 – in exchange for recognition of Somaliland’s independence and its participation in the national carrier, Ethiopian Airlines. Although the national carrier’s authorities have denied that any agreement was reached with the Hargheisa authorities on this matter, Mogadishu has complained of a violation of its sovereignty.

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