Tuesday February 25, 2025
Ethiopia and Somalia have “agreed on the force disposition of ENDF” within the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), according to a joint communiqué issued following a visit by an Ethiopian delegation led by Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Chief of Ethiopia’s National Defense Force, on February 22.
The visit followed a bilateral meeting between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Addis Ababa earlier in February. According to the communiqué, the discussions in Mogadishu focused on “regional security” and the importance of “maintaining peace, security, and stability” in the Horn of Africa.
The Ethiopian delegation included Redwan Hussein, head of Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), and other officials. Somali authorities, including Maj. Gen. Odawa Yusuf Rage, Chief of Defense Forces, and Abdullahi Mohamed Ali, Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), “welcomed” the delegation and emphasized the “strong bilateral cooperation” between the two countries.
The agreement follows diplomatic tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia after Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Somaliland in early 2024. The MoU, which aims to grant Ethiopia access to 20 kilometers of Somaliland’s coastline, was condemned by Somalia as an “infringement on Somalia’s territorial sovereignty.”
In response, Somalia stated that Ethiopia “will not be part of the AU-led forces” replacing ATMIS and deepened military ties with Egypt, leading to the deployment of Egyptian troops and arms shipments to Somalia.
However, tensions have since eased following the Ankara Declaration, mediated in Ankara by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and involving Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
In January 2025, during a high-level visit led by Ethiopian Defense Minister Aisha Mohammed, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation and ensuring the “success of AUSSOM,” according to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The communiqué stated that both sides “welcomed the commencement” of AUSSOM and stressed the “importance of building on the achievements” of its predecessor, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). It noted that the chiefs “underscored the role of ENDF in African Union peace support operations” and agreed on the “force disposition of ENDF” within AUSSOM.
The statement also emphasized that Ethiopia and Somalia agreed that “the Federal Government of Somalia will be the only point of entry” for Ethiopia’s engagements with Somalia, reaffirming “respect for Somalia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity.”
Additionally, the communiqué stated that the two countries will develop a “Status of Force Agreement (SOFA)” for Ethiopian forces operating in Somalia, describing it as an “integral part” of the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation signed in December 2023.