Somali President Meets Ethiopian Prime Minister for Talks in Addis Ababa

Somali president meets Ethiopia’s Abiy in Addis Ababa to bolster security, trade ties

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Ethiopia on Friday for a one-day working visit and held talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed focused on strengthening bilateral relations and regional security, according to the Somali Presidency.

In a statement, Mogadishu said the leaders discussed deepening cooperation across four priority areas: security coordination, political engagement, trade, and wider regional affairs. The talks come against the backdrop of sustained instability in the Horn of Africa and ongoing efforts by neighboring states to synchronize responses to cross-border threats and economic headwinds.

Both sides held in-depth discussions on the security landscape across the Horn, exploring how Somalia and Ethiopia could align more closely to promote peace and stability in the region. The presidency said the leaders underscored the importance of continued cooperation grounded in mutual respect, good neighborliness, and protection of each nation’s sovereignty — principles they framed as essential to sustainable development and long-term political stability.

The meeting signals renewed high-level engagement between the two countries on issues that span shared borders and shared interests, from countering violent threats to enabling trade flows and infrastructure links. While details of new initiatives were not immediately disclosed, the emphasis on practical cooperation suggests both governments are seeking to translate political dialogue into coordinated action.

The focus on security cooperation reflects persistent pressure on regional governments to address transnational challenges while maintaining domestic consensus. For Somalia, the agenda is tightly interwoven with its state-building process and economic recovery; for Ethiopia, it connects to wider regional diplomacy and the imperative to stabilize key corridors and markets.

The timing of the Addis Ababa visit also coincides with political activity at home in Somalia. Opposition leaders are meeting in Kismayo, in discussions involving the Jubbaland and Puntland State administrations, to review national political issues and the direction of the country’s state-building and governance process. The parallel tracks — external engagement with a key neighbor and internal dialogue among political stakeholders — highlight the dual fronts on which Somalia’s leadership is working to consolidate stability.

No public timeline was given for follow-up steps, but officials framed the exchange as part of an ongoing process to reset and reinforce ties based on clearly defined interests and respect for sovereignty. The emphasis on trade alongside security indicates an effort to pair hard-security cooperation with economic linkages that can deliver tangible benefits for citizens and underpin political agreements.

Friday’s visit, described as a one-day working trip, adds momentum to regional conversations around coordinated security planning and economic integration in the Horn of Africa. With both governments presenting the talks as substantive and forward-looking, attention now turns to whether the commitments outlined in Addis can be converted into joint actions that make borders safer, commerce smoother, and political dialogue more durable.

As Somalia navigates domestic political consultations and a complex security transition, and as Ethiopia continues to shape its regional posture, the success of this bilateral track will likely be measured by incremental progress: improved information-sharing, clearer mechanisms for cooperation, and steps that reinforce the principles both sides stressed — good neighborliness and mutual respect.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.