Ethiopia, UK to enhance joint security ties; talks address Red Sea security

Addis Abeba – Ethiopia and UK intelligence agencies have agreed to “enhance their joint cooperation” on security matters, focusing on regional stability and counter-terrorism efforts, Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) stated on Thursday.

In a statement to state media, NISS said Richard Peter Moore, Chief of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), led a delegation to Addis Abeba, where he met with senior officials. The delegation was welcomed by high-ranking NISS officials at Bole International Airport.

The talks focused on “regional, continental, and international matters,” particularly the situation in the Red Sea, terrorism threats, and illegal human trafficking, NISS reported.

Sisay Tola, Deputy Director-General of NISS, emphasized that some entities were “deliberately trying to use Ethiopia’s initiative for port access for false propaganda purposes,” which he said was “negatively contributing to regional instability.”

Sisay highlighted Ethiopia’s “crucial role” in regional stability and addressed concerns about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), stating it should serve as a catalyst for cooperation rather than “an agenda for differences, controversy, and conflict,” according to the state media report.

Moore, acknowledging Ethiopia’s “strategic importance and influence,” pledged to strengthen intelligence exchanges and enhance cooperation in “technology and capacity-building fields,” the statement added.

Previously, NISS reported that the intelligence agencies of Ethiopia and Kenya had agreed to “enhance their cooperation” and alleged that the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), referred to by Ethiopian authorities as “Shene,” had established direct connections with al-Shabaab militants based in Somalia. AS