Ethiopia Engages in 34th EASF Policy Organs Meeting in Mogadishu

Addis Ababa, July 18, 2025 (FMC) — Ethiopian delegation is taking part in the 34th Ordinary Policy Organs Meetings of the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), currently underway in Mogadishu, Somalia.

The meetings, being held from July 15 to 19, bring together Defense Ministers, Chiefs of Defense Staff, and senior military experts from EASF member states to discuss collective approaches to regional peace and security.

Ethiopia is represented by a delegation led by Major General Teshome Gemechu, Director General for Foreign Relations and Military Cooperation at the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), who is attending on behalf of ENDF Chief of Staff, Field Marshal Berhanu Jula.

ENDF Online Media Chief Editor, Lt. Col. Wubshet Chekol, told Fana Digital that the Ethiopian delegation is actively engaging in discussions on EASF’s growing role in responding to security challenges across the region.

Being held under the theme “EASF: Two Decades of Commitment to Promoting Regional Peace and Security,” this year’s forum marks the first time Somalia is hosting the Policy Organs Meetings since joining the regional mechanism in 2014. The agenda includes a review of the organization’s current five-year strategic plan (2021–2025), initial consultations on the upcoming strategic framework for 2026–2030, and preparations for a major naval command post exercise scheduled to take place in Djibouti. Member states are also evaluating a progress study that reviews EASF’s achievements since its establishment.

The meetings are also addressing new and emerging security threats such as terrorism, transnational crime, human trafficking, and the impacts of climate-related crises. Ethiopia’s participation reflects its continued commitment to collective regional security, multilateral defense cooperation, and the operational strengthening of EASF as a credible and responsive peace and security instrument in Eastern Africa.