Ethiopian and Kenyan military chiefs signed a new Defense
Cooperation Agreement (DCA) in Addis Ababa.
The accord came into being six decades after the first such
pact was concluded in 1963, the year Kenya gained independence.
The agreement was signed on September 24, 2025 at the
National Defense Headquarters in Addis Ababa, following a bilateral meeting
between Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian
Armed Forces, and Kenya’s Chief of Defense Forces General
Charles Charles Kahariri.
Ethiopia and Kenya enjoy a longstanding fraternal
relationship, from diplomatic to political relations, people-to-people ties,
and economic cooperation.
A series of meetings held in both Nairobi and Addis Ababa
led to the signing of the second cooperation agreement yesterday in the
Ethiopian capital.
One of these meetings, held in November last year, saw a
Kenyan delegation visit Addis Ababa, where the two militaries agreed to expand
joint training and security operations.
Both nations are currently contributing troops to the
African Union Stabilisation Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
This military pact between the two brotherly nations will
provide a strategic framework and set the stage for future cooperation in
intelligence sharing, joint military exercises, training, defense industry
development, counter-terrorism, border security, and related military matters.
The Accord will have a significant positive impact on peace
and security in our region, which is already facing considerable security
challenges.
The bilateral engagement seeks to establish a structured
framework for more efficient, effective, and timely collaboration in addressing
contemporary security threats.
It also focuses on advancing joint training, enhancing
interoperability, and strengthening mechanisms for rapid intelligence sharing.
Gen Kahariri emphasized that deepening defence ties between
the two nations’ Forces represent an investment in innovation, resilient
infrastructure, and industrial capacity.
“This is a clear expression of African self-reliance,
mastering our collective fate through cooperation, ingenuity, and shared
action,” he said.
Jula reaffirmed Ethiopian National Defence Forces’
commitment to the partnership, noting that the agreement reflects the
long-standing relationship between the two nations, rooted in shared borders,
history, and common challenges.
He expressed confidence that the cooperation will not only
strengthen peace and security in both countries but also contribute to the
stability and prosperity of the wider region.
Jula, noted the agreement reflected a longstanding
relationship between the two nations, rooted in shared borders, history, and
common challenges.
The two countries have been undertaking a series of military
engagements, which paved the way for the current Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA).
