Ethiopian Defense Minister Aisha Mohammed has dismissed remarks made about Ethiopia, stating that it is common for certain “countries” that are difficult to consider as countries—to attempt to speak about Ethiopia in such a manner.

In an interview aired on Ethiopian News Agency on Saturday, May 31, 2025, Minister Aisha responded to comments made by Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki during Eritrea’s Independence Day celebrations. In his speech marking the 34th Eritrean Independence Day on May 24, 2025, President Isaias harshly criticized the Ethiopian government, accusing it of engaging in arms procurement and military preparations.

The war that foreign powers have waged against the Ethiopian people for the past five years through their proxy, the Prosperity government, shows how desperate they are,” President Isaias declared.

He further alleged that Ethiopia’s rush to acquire weapons and technologies, along with its related negotiations and military preparations, was widely known and documented.

In response, Minister Aisha dismissed these assertions, countering that Ethiopia’s defense forces are not organized specifically to counter small factions that heed external advice and move erratically.”

“The army that is currently being built is not, as they think, an organized army for small forces that can jump in and out of this area, listening to their advice,” she said. She also stated that the defense force is “built in a way that is able to safe its nation from forces that want to attack Ethiopia and affect its national interests by any miscalculation.”

“The local militia is enough for the little forces that are seen here and there in our nation,” the minister said; adding that we are “training” and “preparing” this militia force.

She also said in the interview that the presence of the Fano forces and the Oromo Liberation Army is not “an intrusion” and “a threat to the defense forces capacity ” or “a threat to the people’s peaceful existence as it was 100 percent.”

Minister Aisha emphasized that militia and regional security forces are being trained to maintain stability. “We are working to ensure peace in these areas, to intervene when needed, and to restore the army to its fundamental role as a protector of the country,” she explained.

Additionally, she refuted allegations that Ethiopia’s defense forces had committed acts against innocent civilians, dismissing such claims as “media propaganda.”