Kenya, Uganda to mediate Ethiopia-Somalia dispute

Kenyan President William Ruto said Saturday that he and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni will help mediate a dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia, which threatens the stability of the region.

Landlocked Ethiopia, which has thousands of troops in Somalia to fight al-Qaida-linked insurgents, has fallen out with the Mogadishu government over its plans to build a port in the breakaway region of Somaliland in exchange for possible recognition of its sovereignty.

Somaliland has struggled to gain international recognition, despite governing itself and enjoying comparative peace and stability since declaring independence in 1991.

The spat has drawn Somalia closer to Egypt, which has quarreled with Ethiopia for years over Addis Ababa's construction of a vast hydro dam on the Nile River, and Eritrea, another of Ethiopia's foes.

"Because the security of Somalia ... contributes significantly to the stability of our region and the environment for investors and businesspeople and entrepreneurs to thrive," Ruto said at a news conference.

Several attempts to resolve the feud in Ankara, Turkey, failed to achieve a breakthrough.

Ethiopia's government and foreign affairs spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Somalia's foreign minister could not immediately be reached by Reuters.