ETHIOPIA'S QUEST FOR FRONTIER RECOGNITION FROM SOMALIA: A BRIEF HISTORICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

The frontier acknowledgment quest of Ethiopia towards the Somalia Republic was and continued to be one of unending diplomatic strain in African politics. The acknowledgment quest of Ethiopia was recurrently engulfed by the counter self-determination quest of Somalia Republic. Apparently, the differing stance on colonial agreements, the active role of the military on the foreign policy direction of Somalia; the discovery of natural gas and oil on the controversial frontier area, Ogaden; along with headstrong political thought frustrated the quest of Ethiopia for frontier recognition. This article intended to chart a new insight for the frustration of the much-anticipated frontier acknowledgment quest of Ethiopia in the face of Somalia Republic, mainly paying particular attention to differing stance on colonial agreement, hegemonic computation and the issue of self-determination vs. frontier acknowledgment. In the process of analysis, untapped archival documents from the Ethiopian National Archive and Library Agency (ENALA) together with secondary works of literature are employed.