Uganda, Jan. 19 -- Countries in the Horn of Africa meeting in Uganda Thursday called out on Ethiopia to refrain from acts that depict disrespect to Somalia's sovereignty.

At the 42nd Extraordinary Assembly of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Heads of State and Government sitting at State House, Entebbe, the leaders "reaffirmed the cardinal principles of respect for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia."

This is concerning the controversial seaport deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland, a breakaway Somali territory, in which the latter agreed to lease 20 kilometres of its Red Sea coastline to the former for 50 years to construct a naval base and a commercial port.

The M...