NEWS IN A Week in the Horn 02.01.2026
Ethiopia
President Taye Atske Selassie and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed extended warm New Year greetings and best wishes to partners and friends around the world on Wednesday (December 31), marking the start of 2026.
Prime Minister Abiy held a New Year telephone exchange on Thursday (January 1) with French President Emmanuel Macron, during which they discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation and agreed to remain in close contact on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Prime Minister Abiy, an alumnus of Addis Ababa University, delivered a guest lecture titled “The Role of Intellectuals in National Prosperity” on Friday (January 2) as part of events marking the university’s 75th anniversary, concluding a series of commemorative lectures held in the presence of academic leaders and senior government officials.
Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos responded to questions raised by members of the House of Peoples’ Representatives during its sixth regular meeting on Tuesday (December 30). In the presence of State Ministers Ambassador Hadera Abera and Ambassador Berhanu Tsegaye, the Foreign Minister addressed the House on key issues related to national interests, as well as broader matters concerning foreign relations and diplomacy.
The inauguration and handover ceremony of the Summer Volunteer Service Program organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was held in Dire Dawa on Friday (December 26) in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs Gedion Timothewos and Mayor of the Dire Dawa City Administration Kedir Juhar. State Ministers of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Hadera Abera and Ambassador Berhanu Tsegaye, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Kenya Ambassador Bacha Debele, and Dire Dawa city community members also attended the event. (See article)
The Ethiopia-China Coffee Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference and a series of Ethiopian coffee promotion events were held in Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, from December 26 to 28. The events were jointly organized by the Embassy of Ethiopia in China and the Ethiopia–China Friendship and Cooperation Committee under the theme “Taste Ethiopia, Embrace Opportunities.”(See article)
Djibouti
President Ismail Omar Guelleh met in Djibouti on Monday (December 29) with his Somali counterpart, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, during an official visit, where they discussed bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.
Somalia
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met on Tuesday (December 30) with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the Republic of Türkiye at the Dolmabahçe Presidential Office in Istanbul. The two leaders held discussions on matters of mutual interest.