Ethiopia

Military & Security

Politics

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede as the head of the Tigray region’s interim regional administration, Addis Standard reported April 8. 

Ethiopia: Federal Government Appoints New Regional Leader of Tigray With TPLF Backing 

Eritrea

The Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, accused Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of breaching the 2022 Pretoria agreement that ended the Tigray war after Abiy called on Tigrayans to "participate in the nomination of candidates" to replace Tigray's interim president, Getachew Reda, Addis Standard reported on March 27.

Ethiopia: TPLF Accuses Prime Minister Abiy of Breaching Tigray Peace Deal 

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that Tigray's Interim Regional Administration would serve for another year but that changes could be made to its leadership, Addis Standard reported March 20. 

Ethiopia: Prime Minister Abiy Hints at Leadership Changes in Tigray 

Individuals affiliated with the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, have allegedly seized control of the mayoral office and a leading local radio station in Mekele, the capital of Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, Addis Standard reported on March 13.

Ethiopia: TPLF Reportedly Seizes Key Buildings in Tigray's Regional Capital, Threatening Military Escalation 

Getachew Reda, the president of Tigray's interim regional administration, called on Ethiopia's federal government to provide "necessary support" amid rapidly escalating tensions with the Tigray Defense Forces, or TDF, after he sacked the head of Tigray's peace and security bureau, Addis Standard reported on March 12.

Ethiopia: Tigray's Leader Calls for Federal Support as Tigray Military Seizes Regional Government Buildings

Somalia

The Ethiopian and Somali militaries reached an understanding aimed at strengthening security cooperation and regional stability following Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's visit to Mogadishu, Addis Standard reported on Feb. 27. 

Somalia, Ethiopia: Military Pact To Improve Regional Stability

Tigray's interim regional administration accused certain leaders of the Tigray Defense Forces, or TDF, of dismantling local government structures in the region, warning that further attempts by the TDF to undermine local government could cause a "severe crisis," Addis Standard reported on Feb. 21.

Ethiopia: Tigray Administration Warns of Crisis After Tigray Defense Forces Storms Local Government Office 

Turkey

Ethiopia and Somalia began holding their first round of technical talks over Ethiopia's quest to secure maritime access through Somalia in Turkey, Addis Standard reported on Feb. 18.

Ethiopia, Somalia: Governments Begin Technical Talks Over Maritime Access 

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Reichstag in Berlin with flags.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: U.S.-Russia Contacts on a Ukraine Ceasefire, a Vote on Reforming Germany’s Debt Brake

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Damage on Feb. 13 in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza.

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The Weekly Rundown: Mideast Ceasefires and Arab Gaza Proposals, the AU Summit

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The lobby of the headquarters for the U.S. Agency for International Development is seen on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Cuts to U.S.-funded humanitarian and development programs could worsen global health outcomes, destabilize security environments, accelerate democratic backsliding, and create opportunities for rival powers to expand their influence.

The Global Implications of Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts

Egypt

The Geopolitics of Water

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

In the coming decade, water scarcity will likely contribute to the erosion of Egypt's economic and political independence, including its ability to act unilaterally against other countries vying for water along the Nile basin.

The Geopolitics of Water: The Threat to Egypt's Independence

An illustration of the Ethiopian and Somali flags.

The countries’ commitment to negotiate maritime access reduces immediate conflict risks and could enable Ethiopia to secure leasing rights at Somali ports, but tensions will likely resurge if the two sides fail to finalize a deal.

Ethiopia and Somalia Crack Open the Door To Compromise on Maritime Access

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Vehicles pass by a banner thanking outgoing Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and congratulating President-elect Prabowo Subianto and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka ahead of their Oct. 20 inauguration in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct. 17, 2024.

The Weekly Rundown: An Impeachment Case in Kenya, an Inauguration in Indonesia

A Somali National Army soldier participates in a military drill in Mogadishu on March 19, 2024.

Egypt and Somalia's deepening security coordination risks triggering armed clashes with Ethiopia that could undermine regional counterterrorism efforts and inflame ethnic tensions.

The Horn of Africa Braces for Conflict as an Anti-Ethiopia Alliance Takes Shape

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Population growth, security vacuums, bad governance and climate change will increasingly strain the desert region's already scarce water supplies, raising the risk of social unrest, interstate conflict and violence from non-state actors.

The Geopolitics of Water: In the Middle East, Water Will Increasingly Become a Weapon and Driver of Conflict

Internally displaced people walk past the Tigrayan flag at the Tsehaye camp in Ethiopia's Shire, Tigray region, on July 16, 2024. 

Factionalism within the Tigray region's ruling party raises the prospect of resurging clashes in the region, threatening to undermine Ethiopia's recent peace and economic gains.

Tigray's Leadership Tussle Bodes Ill for Ethiopia

The skyline of the western section of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is seen on Dec. 28, 2020. 

Multilateral support will facilitate the country's debt restructuring, but the enactment of painful economic and monetary reforms could see more Ethiopians join ethnic militias in the short-to-medium term.

Ethiopia's IMF Deal Presages Long-Term Gains but Risks Fueling Security Challenges

Snapshots

A map illustrating Turkey (in red) and the BRICS countries (in blue).

Joining BRICS would underscore Turkey's balancing act between the West and the Global South, but the organization's weaknesses will limit its potential for economic growth.

For Turkey, BRICS Is Far From a Political and Economic Panacea

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South Korea

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) speaks as Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (L), chair of the African Union, listens during a joint press conference following the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit in Goyang, South Korea, on June 4, 2024.

Energy

A recent summit highlights South Korea's commitment to expanding its role in Africa as Yoon looks to strengthen his country's technological future and geopolitical influence.

In South Korea, Yoon's Desire for Supply Chains and Prestige Points to Africa

Ethiopia is an ancient African country bordered by Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, South Sudan and Sudan. Ethiopia's relatively large population of 100 million people has helped the country establish itself as a regional heavyweight in East Africa. Its extensive mountain system, which surrounds the fertile lowland core of the country, is key to understanding Ethiopia's diverse ethnic composition and how it relates to its neighbors. Invasion is not a major concern for Ethiopia, as the northern Ethiopian Plateau and the Ahmar Mountains almost completely surround the lowlands. In the northeast, the Awash River Basin opens to the coastline, but even this area gains a certain measure of protection from its extreme desert conditions. The country's capital, Addis Ababa, sits at an elevated position overseeing the lowlands, where the majority Oromo and Amharic peoples merge with several less populous mountain cultures. Ethiopia's greatest challenge is uniting these disparate groups. Financially, Ethiopia's export and import costs are high because neighbors Djibouti and Eritrea block its sea access. North of the lowland core, the Ethiopian Plateau serves as the country's breadbasket, growing wheat, barley, corn and the staple crop teff. These highlands form an extensive drainage system that creates the most fertile land in the region. Within this region lies Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile River, which is the largest tributary of the greater Nile River. Much of Ethiopia's coffee is grown at the fertile apex of the Ahmar Mountains, which are south of the lowlands. Those mountains descend into the arid Ogaden desert, which was acquired in the 19th century and remains disconnected from the core. While it provides Ethiopia with strategic depth to protect it from the issues of its unstable neighbor Somalia, the desert is also home to separatist and Somali militants, which pose a threat to the Ethiopian state.

SITUATION REPORTS

Ethiopia: Federal Government Appoints New Regional Leader of Tigray With TPLF Backing

Ethiopia: TPLF Accuses Prime Minister Abiy of Breaching Tigray Peace Deal

Ethiopia: Prime Minister Abiy Hints at Leadership Changes in Tigray

Ethiopia: TPLF Reportedly Seizes Key Buildings in Tigray's Regional Capital, Threatening Military Escalation

Ethiopia: Tigray's Leader Calls for Federal Support as Tigray Military Seizes Regional Government Buildings

Somalia, Ethiopia: Military Pact To Improve Regional Stability

Ethiopia: Tigray Administration Warns of Crisis After Tigray Defense Forces Storms Local Government Office

Ethiopia, Somalia: Governments Begin Technical Talks Over Maritime Access

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