Ethiopia is hosting its first-ever African Defense Ministers’ Conference in Addis Ababa, a three-day event that comes at a pivitoal moment for the region. The conference, which opened on Tuesday at the Adwa Victory Memorial Museum, is themed “Africa: United in Peace, Strong in Security.” The event, organized by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Defense, has drawn defence leaders from across the continent to discuss terrorism, cybersecurity, and regional instability.
Ethiopian Defense Minister Engineer Aisha Mohammed, opened the conference, highlighing the importance of unity in addressing shared security threats across Africa. “For Africa to achieve peace and global security, we must be united,” she said. However, this message of unity is overshadowed by escalating tensions in the Horn of Africa.
The conference is being held against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia following the controversial signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ethiopia and Somaliland in January 2024. The MoU grants Ethiopia naval and commercial access to Somaliland’s coastline. In exchange, Ethiopia is expected to formally recognize Somaliland’s independence, which has sparked outrage in Somalia, which considers Somaliland part of its territory.
The tensions over this MoU have led to a realignment of regional alliances. Ethiopia’s regional ambitions have triggered deep divisions, particularly with Somalia, Eritrea, and Egypt, which have formed an emerging trilateral front against Ethiopia.
Egypt, in particular, has been vocal in its opposition to Ethiopia’s ambitions, seeing it as part of a broader rivalry over control of the Nile River and access to resources. Egypt and Somalia have even signed a military cooperation agreement, and arms shipments have already begun arriving in Mogadishu.
African Defense Ministers’ Conference Attendees include African defence ministers, military experts, and high-ranking officials, including Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh and former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. Panel discussions will focus on capacity building, technology transfer, and joint military initiatives aimed at addressing both regional and global security threats.
The African Union, which is participating in the conference, has also stressed the importance of Africa’s role in global peacekeeping efforts. Ethiopia has historically been an influential contributor to peacekeeping operations across the continent, including in Somalia. However, Ethiopia’s involvement in Somalia’s future peacekeeping missions is now uncertain, as Somalia has demanded the exclusion of Ethiopian forces from the upcoming African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) in favour of Egyptian troops.
