Countering Insurgents: Why Ethiopia, Somalia Agree To Collaborate

Ethiopia and Somalia have now agreed on a multinational force to battle Islamist insurgents bedeviling their countries.

This signals a further reduction of diplomatic tensions between the neighboring countries. Talks in Mogadishu on Thursday between senior government officials resulted in an agreement to “collaborate” on the so-called African Union Support and Stabilization Mission and “strengthen bilateral relations,” Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on X on Friday.

However, details on how the nations would work together were not provided.

Somalia’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Ali Balcad, didn’t immediately respond to a text message requesting comment.

Under a previous accord, Ethiopia stationed 3,000 soldiers in Somalia as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission. In addition, as many as 7,000 Ethiopian troops were deployed in the Horn of Africa nation under a separate bilateral agreement.

Ethiopia has been one of the main contributors to the United Nations-backed force that’s been fighting al-Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia for almost two decades. Mogadishu previously objected to Addis Ababa’s future participation in the mission after a yearlong dispute over Ethiopia’s offer to recognize Somaliland — a breakaway territory in northern Somalia — in return for access to a port in the semi-autonomous region.

The talks between the two countries took place as Somalia on Thursday assumed its role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council after a 54-year hiatus.