Britain and Ethiopia colluded to pressure the Esa into ceding Zeila port

Evidence

There were discussions between Ethiopia and the United Kingdom regarding how to put pressure on the communities around Zeila so as to give the town and the port to Ethiopia: “It seems clear that … would make it more difficult than ever for us to put pressure on the Esa to hand over Zeila under any conditions.” — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1203