Ethiopia and the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on military cooperation, marking a significant step toward strengthening joint efforts to address regional security challenges, including cross-border crime and terrorism.
The agreement was signed in Addis Ababa following high-level talks between Ethiopia’s Minister of Defense, Engineer Aisha Mohammed, and Congo’s Minister of National Defense, Lieutenant General Charles Richard Monjo.
During the signing ceremony, Minister Aisha Mohammed emphasized the importance of the MoU in enhancing collaboration amid an increasingly complex global and regional security environment. She stressed that closer defense cooperation is essential for effectively responding to shared security threats.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two countries committed to cooperation in several key areas, including military industrial production, weapons maintenance, education and training, as well as peacekeeping operations. The MoU is also expected to enable the joint use of military capabilities, thereby strengthening operational effectiveness.
Minister Aisha highlighted the long-standing diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Congo-Brazzaville, dating back to the early 1960s. She noted that bilateral ties have been reinforced through multilateral engagement within the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the African Union (AU), whose headquarters are located in Addis Ababa.
Lieutenant General Monjo described the agreement as a key milestone in promoting peace and security between the two nations, stating that the concrete implementation of the MoU would begin in the near future. He also extended an invitation to Minister Aisha Mohammed to visit Congo-Brazzaville.
Ethiopia reaffirmed its commitment to deepening its diplomatic and defense partnerships with African countries in support of regional stability.