A Week in the Horn 02.05.2025
NEWS IN BRIEF
Ethiopia
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has inaugurated the Mesob One-Stop Service Center on Saturday (April 26), revealing that twelve institutions have begun offering 40 different services under one roof, enabling citizens to save time and access services more efficiently. Following this, on Wednesday (April 30), President Taye Atske Selassie, accompanied by State Ministers of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Hadera Abera and Ambassador Berhanu Tsegaye as well as members of the diplomatic community based in Addis Ababa and heads of international organizations, visited the center.
Prime Minister Abiy inaugurated the renovated Kazanchis segment on Tuesday (April 22), one of Addis Ababa’s oldest areas, now transformed under the second phase of the city’s Beautification and Corridor Development Project. (See article)
Prime Minister Abiy has received a message from the president of Angola, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço by his special envoy Téte António, Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Angola, who delivered a message on behalf of the President on Thursday (May 1).
The first BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting for 2025 was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 28 and 29, with a delegation led by Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos participating in the discussions. (See article)
The inaugural meeting of the Ethio-Saudi Business Council, the Second Ethiopia-Saudi Business Forum, and B2B discussions took place on Tuesday (April 22) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event was organized by the Ethiopian Embassy in Riyadh in collaboration with the Federation of Saudi Chambers of Commerce. It brought together leaders from the Ethiopian Chamber and sectoral associations, the Federation of Saudi Chambers, members of the Joint Business Council, and business communities from both countries. (See article)
Boeing, the leading global aerospace company, officially inaugurated its African headquarters in Addis Ababa on Tuesday (April 22), aiming to serve as the company’s administrative hub for the region. (See article)
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Berhanu Tsegaye received in his office Stian Christensen, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Ethiopia, on Wednesday (April 30), where they held discussions on further strengthening the cordial relations between Ethiopia and Norway.
Ethiopia participated in the 2025 Conferences of the Parties (COPs) to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions held in Geneva, with a delegation led by Engineer Lelise Neme, Director General of the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), on Wednesday (April 30).
The three-day Innovation Africa 2025 Summit held in Addis Ababa from April 29 to May 1, which addressed critical issues such as national strategies for enhancing quality education, skills development, teacher training, capacity building, and the integration of digital technologies, among others.
Djibouti
Djiboutian Foreign Minister Abdoulkader Houssein Omar spoke by telephone Sunday (April 27) with his new Somali counterpart, Abdisalam Abdi Ali, reaffirming commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.
On an official visit to Kuwait, FM Abdoulkader Houssein Omar was received on Monday (April 28) by his Kuwaiti counterpart, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya and held talks with the acting Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Fahad Youssef Al-Sabah.
Somalia
On Sunday (April 27), Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre conducted a cabinet reshuffle: Ahmed Moallim Fiqi Ahmed moved from Foreign Affairs to become Minister of Defence; Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi was appointed Second Deputy Prime Minister; and Abdisalan Abdi Ali Daay assumed the role of Foreign Minister.
Minister of Labor Yusuf Mohamed Abdulle participated on Monday (April 28) in the Innovation Africa 2025 Ministerial Summit in Addis Ababa, focusing on education, technology, and skills development to shape a brighter future for youth.
South Sudan
South Sudan resumed oil production and exports via Sudan on Wednesday (April 30) following the completion of repairs to a previously damaged pipeline.
The UN Security Council on Wednesday (April 30) extended the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for 9 days, until May 9, with the short-term extension approved unanimously.
Sudan
Sudan’s leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Monday (April 28) for talks on bilateral and regional areas of mutual interest.
Africa and the African Union
An Ethiopian delegation led by Defense Minister Ayisha Mehamed Musa took part in the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), plus Somalia, held in Entebbe, Uganda, on Friday (April 25). (See article)
Chairperson of the AU Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf met on Wednesday (April 30) in Addis Ababa with Gabonese Foreign Minister Régis Onanga Ndiaye, welcoming Gabon’s peaceful return to constitutional order and the AU Peace and Security Council’s decision to lift its suspension.
The Chairperson also met on Tuesday (April 29) with UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia, discussing mediation efforts in eastern DRC and stressing the need for coordinated regional and international peacemaking.
Note: For detailed reports, please check out the rest of this week’s news published in separate posts.