Photo: Credit AFP
Ethiopia navy will soon be operational, amid an undisclosed agreement with the Somali government.
The Ethiopian government has for the first time officially announced that its navy will soon be operational, amid an undisclosed agreement with the Somali government.
General Adam Mohamed, Commander-in-Chief of the Ethiopian Armed Forces, told local media that Ethiopia would operate its navy without a landlocked country and would use those from neighboring countries. The general never mentioned a specific country where his troops would be based, but it is understood that the troops will operate in Somali waters.
The Ethiopian federal government recently signed an agreement with the Somali government to use up to four ports, although the exact number is unknown. He also announced the addition of two new Battalions which he said would be used for various when they occur.
According to Modern Diplomacy, Testament to this was when French President Macron sealed a deal with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed when they met in March 2019. The French signalled plans to invest 2.8 Billion Euros in hopes of awakening a sleeping African giant that Ethiopia is. The agreement also includes a military component which includes provisions air-force cooperation, joint exercises, equipment purchases and as well as, most ambitiously, goals to reconstruct an Ethiopian Navy.
But, there is just one problem, Ethiopia is a landlocked nation.
Somalia meanwhile relations between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu have improved significantly and the Somalian ports of, Bosaso, Berbera, Hobyo and Kismayo are well suited for large navies.