Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it "sincerely regrets" that a map of Africa which incorporated Somalia into Ethiopia had "crept on its website".

The ministry added that it removed the "wrong and unacceptable" map as soon as it became aware of it.

The map erased Somalia, but showed the breakaway state of Somaliland.

The ministry's statement did not explain how the map appeared on its website, but said: "Please be assured that our ICT team is working to ensure the security of the website. We sincerely regret any confusion and misunderstanding this incident might have caused."

The map caused an uproar among Somalis on social media, with some saying it was part of a wider plan by Ethiopia to annex their country.