Ethiopia and Somalia have reached an agreement to establish a system regarding the status of the Ethiopian Defense Forces deployment in Somalia, as per the bilateral agreement.

The agreement was reached between the Ethiopian high-level delegation, led by the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), Field Marshal Brhanu Jula, and Somalia’s Chief of Defense Forces, Maj. Gen. Odawa Yusuf Rage. The agreement aims to implement the Status of Forces Agreement, which addresses the deployment, activities, and general operations of the Ethiopian army in Somalia.

Following a delegation led by Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, who visited Somalia on February 22, the two countries announced in a joint statement that they have agreed to deploy the Ethiopian Defense Forces as part of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).

This visit followed recent bilateral talks between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Addis Ababa. According to the joint statement, 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 the head of the National Intelligence and Security Service, Redwan Hussain, and other officials. Officials from Somalia, including Maj. Gen. Odawa Yusuf Rage and the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) Director Amb. Abdullahi Mohamed Ali received the delegation and emphasized the importance of “strong bilateral cooperation” between the two countries.

This agreement follows the resolution of the diplomatic tension between Ethiopia and Somalia, which arose after the signing of the Sea Port Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland last year.

At that time, Somalia stated that Ethiopia would not be part of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which was set to replace the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). In response, Somalia strengthened its military ties with Egypt, allowing Egyptian soldiers to be stationed in Somalia and importing weapons from Egypt.

However, the diplomatic tension between Ethiopia and Somalia was resolved through mediation by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During a meeting in Ankara, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud reached an agreement to address the issues causing the tension. As a result, diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Somalia improved.

In January 2025, an Ethiopian delegation, led by Defense Minister Aisha Mohammed and including Minister of State Ambassador Misganu Arga, visited Somalia. During this visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Ethiopia and Somalia reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation and working together to ensure the effectiveness of Ethiopia’s mission in Somalia as part of the African Union peacekeeping force.

In a joint statement issued following Field Marshal Berhanu Jula’s visit, both sides “welcomed the launch of AUSSOM” and stressed the importance of building on the successes of the previous African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

The statement announced that both parties emphasized the role of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces in the operations of AUSSOM in Somalia and agreed to the deployment of Ethiopian forces in the mission.

Additionally, the statement indicated that the two countries would prepare a “status of forces agreement” for the Ethiopian forces operating in Somalia. This agreement is part of the Defense Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding signed in December 2023.