Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud has accused Ethiopian security forces of trying to block his access to the African Union summit, with Mogadishu describing it as a "provocative" act.
Mohamoud's claims on Saturday come amid a feud between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu over a deal between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland giving the landlocked country long-sought access to the sea.
"This morning when I prepared myself to come and attend the closed session of the summit, the Ethiopian security blocked my way," Mohamoud told reporters in Addis Ababa, after later gaining entry to the venue for the meeting.
He said he had tried again with another head of state, Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh, but they were also blocked from the AU headquarters.
'Denied access'
"A soldier with a gun stood in front of us and denied us access to this facility," he said.
But in a swift rejoinder, Ethiopia said it had "warmly welcomed" Mohamoud and accorded him the full honours of visiting heads of state and governments to the summit.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's spokeswoman Billene Seyoum told AFP that the Somalia delegation was blocked when its secu rity detail tried to enter a venue with weapons.
"The Somali delegation security attempted to enter the AUC premises with weapons which was blocked off by AUC security," she said.
Somalia's foreign ministry said in a statement it "strongly condemns the provocative attempt by the Ethiopian government to obstruct the delegation".
It called for the AU to conduct a "credible and independent investigation (into) this outrageous conduct".
Controversial deal
Ties between the two neighbours have been worsening since Ethiopia struck a deal with Somaliland on January 1, which could give Ethiopia access to the Red Sea.
Somalia has rejected Ethiopia's Red Sea port deal with Somaliland, calling it "illegitimate," a threat to good neighbourliness and a violation of its sovereignty. It also recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia after the deal was announced.
The Ethiopian government has defended its decision to sign the deal without Mogadishu's approval, saying the agreement with Somaliland "will affect no party or country."
Ethiopia lost its Red Sea ports in the early 1990s after the Eritrean War of Independence, which lasted from 1961 to 1991.
In 1991, Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, leading to the establishment of two separate nations.
After the separation, Ethiopia become landlocked and lost direct access to the Red Sea and key ports.
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