NEWS IN A Week in the Horn 19.12.2025
Ethiopia
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Ethiopia from December 16–17, marking his first visit to Ethiopia and a significant milestone in the deepening diplomatic and economic ties between the two nations. (See article)
Gifaataa, the New Year Festival of the Wolaita people of Ethiopia, has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), held in New Delhi from December 8 to 12, inscribed the New Year Festivities as a heritage of humanity. (See article)
A high-level event was held in Addis Ababa on Monday (December 8) to officially launch the Ethiopian Nuclear Power Programme and operationalize the Ethiopian Nuclear Energy Commission. The event brought together senior government officials and international partners, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Gedion Timothewos, Nuclear Energy Commission Commissioner Sandokan Debebe, and Mikhail Chudakov, Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), alongside other government officials and stakeholders. (See article)
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Hadera Abera received the French Ambassador to Ethiopia, Alexis Lamek, on Thursday (December 18). During the meeting, both sides agreed to cooperate in areas of bilateral and multilateral mutual interest.
Ambassador Hadera met with Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary (Economic Relations) at India’s Ministry of External Affairs, at his office on Tuesday (December 16). Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in areas including education, transport, agriculture, health, science and technology, artificial intelligence, and other sectors of mutual interest.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Berhanu Tsegaye held a meeting on Monday (December 15) with the National Organizing Committee for the 39th African Union Summit and the Africa–Italy Summit, scheduled for mid-February, to ensure enhanced hospitality and reliable security arrangements.
On the same day, Ambassador Berhanu met with a high-level Pakistani business delegation visiting Ethiopia to explore potential investment opportunities. During the meeting, the State Minister reaffirmed the Government of Ethiopia’s strong commitment to supporting all investment activities.
Ethiopia and Russia signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to advance cooperation on Ethiopia’s first nuclear power plant on Wednesday (December 17). The agreement was signed in Moscow by Ethiopian Nuclear Energy Commission Commissioner Sandokan Debebe and ROSATOM Energy Projects Director General Andrey Rozhdestvin.
Ethiopia has been elected, by consensus, as Vice-President and Bureau Member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) during the Council’s Organizational Meeting held in early December in Geneva, Switzerland. (See article)
An Ethiopian delegation participated in the fourth BRICS Sherpas and Sous-Sherpas Meeting, hosted in Brasília on December 11–12. Brazil presented a report on the year-long BRICS activities across all pillars of cooperation, including economy and development, people-to-people exchanges, and peace and security. The meeting also heard briefings from the coordinators of the BRICS Civil Society and Business Council. (See article)
A delegation from the Korea Specialty Contractors Association (KOSCA) held a business forum on Friday (December 12) at Skylight Hotel, bringing together Ethiopian officials and Korean business leaders to explore new areas of cooperation. (See article)
An Ethiopian delegation led by Samuel Urqato, Chief Commissioner of the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, participated in the Eleventh Session of the Conference of the States Parties (COSP11) to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which took place in Doha, Qatar, from December 15 to 19.
Ethiopia, representing East African Member States of the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC), participated in the 4th Continental Dialogue on Youth, Peace and Security in Africa, held in Bujumbura from December 11 to 13 under the theme “Beyond Rhetoric: Youth Empowerment and Engagement in Sustainable Development, Agri-food Systems, and Mineral Value Chains.”
Upon the invitation of the Office of the Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the AU and ECA, African women diplomats gathered on Saturday (December 13) for a cultural exchange. The gathering offered a moment of reflection, goodwill, and solidarity among African women in diplomacy, ahead of the upcoming holiday seasons of Gena (Ethiopian Christmas) and the 2026 New Year.
Eritrea
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), in a statement released on Friday (December 12), said it had taken note of the decision by the Government of the State of Eritrea to withdraw from the organization. IGAD further regretted the decision, noting that the organization has consistently remained open to dialogue through its established consultative mechanisms.
Djibouti
President Ismail Omar Guelleh received an Ethiopian delegation led by Vice President of the Prosperity Party Adem Farah on Thursday (December 18) to discuss strengthening the partnership and advancing shared interests, during a visit in which the delegation, comprising Minister of Transport and Logistics Alemu Sime and senior officials, including State Minister Ambassador Berhanu Tsegaye, also held talks with Foreign Minister Abdoulkader Houssein Omar and visited the Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port.
Somalia
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on a working visit on Friday (December 19), with discussions focusing on advancing shared priorities and reaffirming mutual commitment to deeper bilateral partnership, regional stability, and development.
President Mohamud received the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Benjamin Dousa, on Tuesday (December 16). The meeting discussed deepening cooperation in key areas of mutual interest, including development, trade, and institutional capacity-building.
Africa and the African Union
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed held discussions at the African Union Headquarters on Wednesday (December 17) with African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and his team on ways Ethiopia and the AU can work in close collaboration to deliver an African COP which will be held in Ethiopia in 2027