Addis Ababa, February 22, 2025 (FMC) — Military chiefs of Ethiopia and Somalia have agreed to develop a Status of Force Agreement (SOFA) for all the bilateral forces that will operate in Somalia, a joint communique sent this evening to FMC disclosed.
Following the recent Bilateral engagement between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia in Addis Ababa on 14-16 February 2025, it was agreed that a technical discussion was to be held in Mogadishu Somalia, the joint communiqué indicated.
Based on the above instructions a delegation led by Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Chief of Staff of Ethiopia National Defence Forces (ENDF), paid a one-day Work Visit to the Federal Republic of Somalia on 22nd February 2025. The Chief was accompanied by the head of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), Ambassador Redwan Hussein, and other government officials.
Maj. Gen Odawa Yusuf Rage, Chief of Defense Forces of the Somali National Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and Amb. Abdullahi Mohamed Ali Director of National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) welcomed Field Marshal General Birhanu Jula and Redwan Hussein to Somalia and commended the strong bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The chiefs exchanged views on the security situation in Somalia and the region and underscored the need to maintain peace, security, and stability in the Horn of Africa and in the African continent. They paid tribute to the Troop and Police Contributing Countries (T/PCCs) of the AU MISSION in Somalia (AMISOM)/ATMIS and Somali Security Forces for the sacrifices made since 2007 in pacifying the country and the fight against Al-Shabaab.
The Chiefs welcomed the commencement of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and highlighted the importance of building on the achievements made by its predecessor ATMIS. The chiefs underscored the role of ENDF in African Union peace support operations and agreed on the Force disposition of ENDF in the African Union Support and Stabilization mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
The Chiefs emphasized the need to adequately support the current efforts to fight al-Shabaab and underscored their commitment to jointly work together to counter-terrorism.
The parties agreed that the Federal Government of Somalia would be the only point of entry for any engagement between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Federal Republic of Somalia and to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of its people.
The Chiefs called upon the international community to support in building the capabilities of the Somali National Armed Forces to ensure the smooth exit of AUSSOM and pave the way for Somalia to assume her security responsibilities.
At the bilateral level, the Chiefs agreed to develop a Status of Force Agreement (SOFA) for all the bilateral forces that will operate in Somalia, the signing of the SOFA will be an integral part of the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation that was signed in December 2023.
