Ethiopia–Kenya Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA)
Signed: 24 September 2025, Ministry of National Defense Headquarters, Addis Abeba
- Background
- Ethiopia and Kenya first entered a defense pact in 1963, the year of Kenya’s independence.
- The new DCA builds on more than six decades of military and security collaboration.
- It was signed by Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian Armed Forces, and General Charles Muriu Kahariri, Kenya’s Chief of Defense.
- Objectives
- Provide a strategic framework for cooperation on key security matters.
- Reflect the “longstanding defense ties” and growing trust between the two nations.
- Enhance the countries’ contributions to regional peace and stability.
- Priority Areas of Cooperation
- Intelligence Sharing
- Joint Military Exercises
- Training & Capacity Building
- Defense Industry Development
- Counter-Terrorism Operations
- Border Security & Combating Cross-Border Crime
- Other related military matters as mutually agreed.
- Signatories’ Remarks
- Field Marshal Birhanu Jula: Highlighted Ethiopia and Kenya’s historic relationship and emphasized that the agreement expands collaboration beyond bilateral benefits, contributing to regional peace and security.
- General Kahariri: Thanked Ethiopia for its hospitality and described the relationship as “historical” and “rooted in cultural, geographic, and people-to-people ties,” reaffirming Kenya’s commitment to future engagements with the ENDF.
- Context & Recent Engagements
- High-level meetings between senior defense officials in 2024–2025 paved the way for the new DCA.
- February 2024: Bilateral talks in Nairobi focusing on shared border security challenges (contraband trade, drug trafficking, human trafficking).
- November 2024: Kenyan delegation visited Addis Abeba to expand training and joint security operations.
- February 2025: Another round of talks in Nairobi following Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s state visit to Kenya.
- Regional Security Cooperation
- Both countries contribute troops to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
- Kenya launched Operation Ondoa Jangili in early 2025 targeting cross-border criminal activity in Marsabit and Isiolo.
- Ethiopia’s Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) issued a statement denying involvement in listed crimes and reaffirmed respect for Kenya’s sovereignty.
- Expected Outcomes
- Strengthened defense and security cooperation at bilateral and regional levels.
- Coordinated efforts to combat terrorism, transnational crime, and cross-border insecurity.
- Enhanced training and defense-industrial capabilities.
- Support for regional stability, including in Somalia and the Horn of Africa at large.
