Weekly Horn of Africa Briefing: Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia & Regional Politics
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Horn of Africa in Focus: GERD Back on Agenda, Egypt Calls Sudan’s Unity a “Red Line”
This week in the Horn of Africa:
Sudan’s government returns to Khartoum as war passes 1,000 days
Egypt declares Sudan’s unity a “red line” amid regional tensions
Trump offers to restart U.S. mediation on Ethiopia’s GERD dispute
Uganda election disrupted…
Sudan’s government returns to Khartoum as war passes 1,000 days
Egypt declares Sudan’s unity a “red line” amid regional tensions
Trump offers to restart U.S. mediation on Ethiopia’s GERD dispute
Uganda election disrupted…
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In_Pictures: #Epiphany celebrations across #Ethiopia
Epiphany (Timket) celebrations are taking place across Ethiopia, as followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church mark the festival in accordance with long-standing religious traditions.
Observances began on the eve of the Katara ceremony yesterday, with clergy and congregants participating in the commemoration.
Photo: Social media
Epiphany (Timket) celebrations are taking place across Ethiopia, as followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church mark the festival in accordance with long-standing religious traditions.
Observances began on the eve of the Katara ceremony yesterday, with clergy and congregants participating in the commemoration.
Photo: Social media
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In Pictures 2
#Ethiopians across the country celebrate Timket (#Epiphany)—recognized by #UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity—one of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s most sacred festivals, marked by vibrant processions, prayers, and communal gatherings.
On the occasion of the festival, various embassies in Addis Abeba have extended congratulatory messages.
The embassies of #Russia and the #United_States, along with those of #Germany, the #Netherlands, the #United_Kingdom, #Switzerland, #Sweden, #Finland, #Israel, #Armenia, #Canada, #Iran, #Pakistan, and #Australia, wished Ethiopians a peaceful and joyful celebration. (Source: FBC, TigTV)
#Ethiopians across the country celebrate Timket (#Epiphany)—recognized by #UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity—one of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s most sacred festivals, marked by vibrant processions, prayers, and communal gatherings.
On the occasion of the festival, various embassies in Addis Abeba have extended congratulatory messages.
The embassies of #Russia and the #United_States, along with those of #Germany, the #Netherlands, the #United_Kingdom, #Switzerland, #Sweden, #Finland, #Israel, #Armenia, #Canada, #Iran, #Pakistan, and #Australia, wished Ethiopians a peaceful and joyful celebration. (Source: FBC, TigTV)
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#Saudi-backed #Yemeni government accuses #UAE of running secret prisons, Abu Dhabi denies claim
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government accused the United Arab Emirates on Monday of running a secret prison at an airbase near the south Yemeni port city of Mukalla, an allegation denied by Abu Dhabi.
The accusation fueled tensions in a deepening row between the two Gulf oil states, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The allegations were made by Salem Al-Khanbashi, the governor of the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramout, during a rare media trip arranged by the Saudi government which flew international journalists including a Reuters team from Riyadh to the Riyan airbase near the Yemeni city of Mukalla.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-backed-tour-yemeni-officials-accuse-uae-running-secret-prisons-2026-01-19/
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government accused the United Arab Emirates on Monday of running a secret prison at an airbase near the south Yemeni port city of Mukalla, an allegation denied by Abu Dhabi.
The accusation fueled tensions in a deepening row between the two Gulf oil states, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The allegations were made by Salem Al-Khanbashi, the governor of the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramout, during a rare media trip arranged by the Saudi government which flew international journalists including a Reuters team from Riyadh to the Riyan airbase near the Yemeni city of Mukalla.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-backed-tour-yemeni-officials-accuse-uae-running-secret-prisons-2026-01-19/
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News: #Somalia signs defence cooperation agreement with #Qatar a week after ending #UAE security ties
Somalia has signed a defence cooperation agreement with Qatar, days after formally terminating all existing security and defence arrangements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Somalia’s state-run news agency SONNA reported.
The agreement was signed in Doha by Somalia’s Minister of Defence, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, and Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani, according to SONNA.
The defence cooperation framework focuses on military training, the exchange of expertise, development of defence capabilities, and enhanced security collaboration, with the stated aim of supporting regional security and stability.
Officials from both countries said the deal reinforces the strategic relationship between Somalia....
https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid02G7MBbzcqP9kmVCoZSmAQ71JYDkRy72druUd4JMp3BCdMkXb6exBbZbVK2ATbEtsdl
Somalia has signed a defence cooperation agreement with Qatar, days after formally terminating all existing security and defence arrangements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Somalia’s state-run news agency SONNA reported.
The agreement was signed in Doha by Somalia’s Minister of Defence, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, and Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani, according to SONNA.
The defence cooperation framework focuses on military training, the exchange of expertise, development of defence capabilities, and enhanced security collaboration, with the stated aim of supporting regional security and stability.
Officials from both countries said the deal reinforces the strategic relationship between Somalia....
https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid02G7MBbzcqP9kmVCoZSmAQ71JYDkRy72druUd4JMp3BCdMkXb6exBbZbVK2ATbEtsdl
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News: #Ethiopia–#Azerbaijan ties: PM Abiy accepts official invitation to visit Azerbaijan
Ethiopian Prime Minister #Abiy Ahmed has accepted an official invitation from the President of Azerbaijan to visit the country and was briefed on Azerbaijan’s ongoing reconstruction and restoration efforts in territories described by Azerbaijani authorities as liberated, the Azerbaijan Press Agency (APA) reported.
The invitation was conveyed during a meeting between Prime Minister Abiy and Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of Azerbaijan’s Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Leyla Aliyeva delivered greetings from President Ilham Aliyev and formally extended the invitation, which the Ethiopian premier accepted, expressing his “highest regard” for the Azerbaijani president, according to APA.
Prime Minister Abiy praised Azerbaijan’s rapid development and commended President Ilham Aliyev’s foresighted policies and growing international standing, stressing the importance of enhancing....
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=54638
Ethiopian Prime Minister #Abiy Ahmed has accepted an official invitation from the President of Azerbaijan to visit the country and was briefed on Azerbaijan’s ongoing reconstruction and restoration efforts in territories described by Azerbaijani authorities as liberated, the Azerbaijan Press Agency (APA) reported.
The invitation was conveyed during a meeting between Prime Minister Abiy and Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of Azerbaijan’s Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Leyla Aliyeva delivered greetings from President Ilham Aliyev and formally extended the invitation, which the Ethiopian premier accepted, expressing his “highest regard” for the Azerbaijani president, according to APA.
Prime Minister Abiy praised Azerbaijan’s rapid development and commended President Ilham Aliyev’s foresighted policies and growing international standing, stressing the importance of enhancing....
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=54638
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News: #Egypt shifts narrative on GERD, demands compensation from #Ethiopia
Egypt has shifted its public stance on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (#GERD), with the country’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hani Sweilem, demanding that the dam pay compensation for the damage it has caused to Egypt and #Sudan.
Speaking during a plenary session of the Egyptian Senate on Sunday, Minister Sweilem said that no dam of GERD’s scale has ever been constructed on the Nile River through unilateral action. He claimed the dam has already reduced Egypt’s share of Nile water by 38 billion cubic meters from its allocated 55 billion cubic meters.
Ethiopia, which built the GERD on the Blue Nile in line with its sovereign rights, has consistently emphasized that the dam is designed to regulate seasonal floods and generate hydropower, not to reduce downstream water allocations.
On 16 January 2026, #US President Donald J. Trump offered to restart .....
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=54644
Egypt has shifted its public stance on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (#GERD), with the country’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hani Sweilem, demanding that the dam pay compensation for the damage it has caused to Egypt and #Sudan.
Speaking during a plenary session of the Egyptian Senate on Sunday, Minister Sweilem said that no dam of GERD’s scale has ever been constructed on the Nile River through unilateral action. He claimed the dam has already reduced Egypt’s share of Nile water by 38 billion cubic meters from its allocated 55 billion cubic meters.
Ethiopia, which built the GERD on the Blue Nile in line with its sovereign rights, has consistently emphasized that the dam is designed to regulate seasonal floods and generate hydropower, not to reduce downstream water allocations.
On 16 January 2026, #US President Donald J. Trump offered to restart .....
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=54644