Foreign relations of Ethiopia

Like many states in sub-Saharan Africa, Ethiopia was relatively isolated from other countries not immediately adjacent to it, until well into the 19th century. Many historians trace modern Ethiopian foreign policy to the reign of Emperor Tewodros II, whose primary concerns were the security of Ethiopia's traditional borders, obtaining technology from Europe (or modernization), and to a lesser degree Ethiopian rights to the monastery of Dar-es-Sultan in the city of Jerusalem.^[1] Tewodros' diplomatic efforts, however, ended disastrously with the British expedition of 1868 which concluded with his death. Despite the efforts of his successor Emperor Yohannes IV to establish a relationship with the United Kingdom, Ethiopia was ignored by the world powers until the opening of the Suez Canal, and more important, the Mahdist War, drew outside attention to her once more.^[2]

The same major interests that Tewodros had—the security of Ethiopia's traditional borders and modernization—were once again foremost, as demonstrated by the outcome of the First Italo–Ethiopian War, Ethiopia's admission to the League of Nations (28 September 1923), and the 1935 Second Italo-Abyssinian War. Following the decisive Ethiopian victory at Adwa, Menelik II rapidly negotiated a series of treaties fixing Ethiopia's boundaries—with French Somaliland in March 1897, British Somaliland a few months later in June 1897, with Italian Eritrea in 1900, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan in 1902, British East Africa in 1907, and Italian Somaliland in 1908—which simplified this problem on one level. Although Emperor Haile Selassie agreed to an agreement with the British government to help him restore order to Ethiopia, which benefited him in crushing the Woyane Rebellion, he patiently worked to its eventual termination. Since World War II, Ethiopia has played an active role in world and African affairs. Ethiopia was a charter member of the United Nations and took part in UN operations in Korea in 1951 and the Congo in 1960. Former Emperor Haile Selassie was a founder of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Addis Ababa is the host capital for the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the OAU.

Although nominally a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, after the 1974 revolution, Ethiopia moved into a close relationship with the Soviet Union and its allies and supported their international policies and positions until the change of government in 1991.

Today, Ethiopia has very good relations with the U.S. and the West, especially in responding to regional instability and, increasingly, through economic involvement. Ethiopia's relations with Eritrea are extremely tense due to an ongoing border dispute. Continuing instability along Ethiopia's borders with Sudan and Somalia contributes to tension with the National Islamic Front regime in Sudan and several factions in Somalia. On the other hand, relations with her other neighboring states, Djibouti and Kenya, are satisfactory.

Africa

Djibouti

Diplomatic relations between the two countries was established in 1984.^[3] Relations between the countries are generally good. Both countries share ownership of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railroad; however, this utility is in need of repairs and upgraded capacity. The railroad is tied to the Port of Djibouti, which provides port facilities and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia. Disputes between the Afar and Issa people of Djibouti have the potential of involving Ethiopian citizens of these groups.

• The border between the two countries is based on the Franco-Ethiopian convention of 20 March 1897. A protocol signed by France and Ethiopia on 16 January 1954, stated that the demarcation of the boundary between the colony of Dibouti and Ethiopia as considered final, which became effective 28 February of that year. With the independence of Djibouti, there have been no significant issues over this border.^[4]
• Djibouti President Hassan Gouled Aptidon paid an official visit to Ethiopia in October 1991, when a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation was signed between the two countries. Since 1991, the two countries have signed over 39 protocol agreements.^[3]
• An agreement concerning the use of the Port of Djibouti and the transit of cargo, was signed in Djibouti between the two countries on 13 April 2002, and ratified by the Ethiopian Federal Parliamentary Assembly on 4 June of the same year.^[5]
• The Ethiopian ambassador to Djibouti is Shemesedine Ahmed Roblah

Eritrea

• The boundary between these two countries is based on three treaties between Ethiopia and Italy, in 1900, 1902, and 1908. However no part of the shared boundary was afterwards demarcated.^[6]
• From 1950 until 1993, Eritrea was federated as part of Ethiopia. During much of this period, a number of Eritreans fought for independence from Ethiopia. The federation was ended with an April 1993 plebiscite which approved Eritrea's full independence.
• Dispute over alignment of boundary with Eritrea led to the Eritrean-Ethiopian War (1998–2000), which was resolved by an independent boundary commission's delimitation decision in 2002. However, demarcation has been delayed, despite intense international intervention, by Ethiopian insistence that the decision ignored "human geography," made technical errors in the delimitation, and determined that certain disputed areas, specifically Badme, fall to Eritrea. Eritrea meanwhile insists on not deviating from the commission's decision. The peacekeepers monitoring the disputed boundary were forced to withdraw in July 2008^[7] having considered their remaining options^[8] after experiencing serious difficulties in supporting its troops.^[9]

Kenya

• Relations between the two countries date to 1954 when Ethiopia established an Honorary Consulate General in that country. In 1961, Ethiopia appointed its first Ambassador to Kenya and six years later Kenya opened an Embassy in Addis Ababa.^[10]
• The border between the two countries is based on the Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement of 6 December 1907; however, a treaty signed by Ethiopia and Kenya on June 9, 1970 determines the present-day boundary, abrogating all previous boundary treaties. This boundary has been subjected to demarcation.^[11]
• The Ethiopian ambassador to Kenya is Murad Mussa. He is also accredited to: Tanzania, the Comoros, United Nations Environment Programme, and United Nations Human Settlements Programme.
• As of 2007^[update], Kenya shelters 16,428 refugees from Ethiopia.

Namibia

Ethiopia–Namibia relations refers to the current and historical relationship between Ethiopia and Namibia. Namibia maintains an embassy in Addis Ababa.

During the South African occupation of Namibia, Ethiopia was one of the country's leading proponents abroad; Ethiopia and Liberia were the first two states to bring the question of independence for then South West Africa to the United Nations.^[12] Namibia gained independence in 1990 In 2007, the two governments signed an agreement which expanded air travel between the two states.^[13] In December 2009, Namibia's Foreign Minister, Marko Hausiku met with Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister Seyoum Mesfin and noted the economic, science, technical and cultural agreements in place between the two countries and expressed a desire to improve the trade relations.^[14]

Somalia

• Most of the southern half of the boundary with Somalia is a Provisional Administrative Line, not an international boundary, which is ignored by rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region
• Somaliland secessionists provide port facilities and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia
• Territorial dispute with Somalia over the Ogaden (the largest portion of the Somali Region)
• Although the Government of Ethiopia has allied with local clans in opposition to the Transitional National Government in the past, it currently is supporting the Transitional Government against its main rival, the Islamic Courts Union.
• As of 2007^[update] Ethiopia shelters 16,576 refugees from Somalia.

Sudan

Ethiopia and Sudan first established formal relations in 1956.^[15] Relations between Ethiopia and Sudan were very good following the end of the Ethiopian Civil War, due to the support that the Sudanese government had given to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front. However, relations were strained for a time following the 26 June 1995 assassination attempt against Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak as he was leaving the OAU summit meeting in Addis Ababa. The subsequent investigation revealed that Sudan was involved in this act, forcing the Ethiopian government to take a series of steps against Sudan that September, which included closing the Sudanese consulate in Gambela, reducing the number of Sudanese embassy staff, and terminating all Sudan Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights between the two countries. However the start of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War led to Sudan and Ethiopia put this conflict between them and normalizing their relations by November 1999 when president Omar Hassan al-Bashir made a formal visit to Addis Ababa.^[16]

A protocol concerning Ethiopian access to Port Sudan was signed between the two countries 5 March 2000 in Khartoum, and this protocol and its subsequent amendment were ratified by the Ethiopian Federal Parliamentary Assembly on 3 July 2003.^[17]

Efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Sudan were delayed by the Second Sudanese Civil War. In May 2008, residents along the western Ethiopian border reportedly discovered that the government had agreed to demarcate this boundary when Sudanese soldiers forced them out of their homes. It was reported that as many as 2,000 people were displaced in the Gambela Region, and the Sudanese army reportedly set fire to two dozen Ethiopian farms and imprisoned 34 people in the Am---hara Region. However, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi publicly denied that any Ethiopians had been displaced by this agreement.^[18] Negotiations over this boundary continues, with the twelfth meeting of the Boundary Commission announced 28 December 2009 at Mek'ele, with Ethiopian representatives from the Tigray, Benishangul-Gumuz, Amhara and Gambela Regions, and from the Sudanese side representatives of the Upper Nile, Blue Nile, Sennar and Al Qadarif Administrations.^[19]

As of 2007^[update] Ethiopia shelters 66,980 refugees from Sudan, most of whom live in refugee camps in the Benishangul-Gumuz and Gambela Regions.

The Ethiopian ambassador to Sudan is Dr Kadafo Mohamed Hanfare. He is also accredited to: Libya, Chad, Central Africa Republic, and Niger

Europe

Asia

Americas

See also

• Category:Ethiopian diaspora
• Diplomatic missions of Ethiopia
• Foreign aid to Ethiopia
• List of diplomatic missions in Ethiopia
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Notes

External links

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Ethiopia's webpage
• A Tangled Political Landscape Raises Questions About African Ally of the U.S. by Michael Deibert, 12 June 2008
• Abdul Mohammed, "Ethiopia’s Strategic Dilemma in the Horn of Africa", Crisis in the Horn of Africa (Social Science Research Council website)
• "U.S. to Test Soviet 'New Thinking': Talks on Africa," The Christian Science Monitor, May 4, 1989.

Further reading

• Amare Tekle, "The Determinants of the Foreign Policy of Revolutionary Ethiopia", Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Sep., 1989), pp. 479–502
• Orobola Fasehun, "Nigeria and the Ethiopia-Somalia Conflict: A Case Study of Continuity in Nigerian Foreign Policy", Africa Spectrum, 17 (1982), pp. 183–193

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.