Ethiopia in January signed a deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland to lease a portion of its coastland in return for possible recognition of the region, which has claimed independence from Somalia since 1991.

The deal angered Somalia, fueling concerns of futher destabilisation in the Horn of Africa. 

In early April, tensions escalated when Somalia ordered Ethiopia’s ambassador to leave the country, as well as the closure of Ethiopia’s consulates in the region of Somaliland and the semiautonomous region of Puntland.

The regional treaty proposed by Kenya in consultation with Djibouti and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) would govern how landlocked states in the region can access ports on commercial terms, Kenya's principal secretary for Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing'oei, said Thursday.