Russia will help Ethiopia rebuild its navy (but it doesn’t have a sea)

With Ethiopia's ongoing push for port access, the country is also making progress in reorganizing its navy. Last Friday, a Russian Navy delegation led by Deputy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Vladimir Vorobyev visited the Ethiopian Navy's facilities and training center in the town of Bishoftu, about 30 miles south of Addis Ababa. There's just one problem: Ethiopia hasn't had a port since 1993 .

During the visit, the two sides signed a cooperation agreement on training and capacity building. After an initial visit in 2022, Russia pledged to collaborate with Ethiopia in its navy modernization efforts.

With the cooperation agreement now in force, “both sides will continue to work together to strengthen the naval reconstruction that the Ethiopian Navy has begun and to further strengthen its readiness to protect Ethiopia's interests in international waters,” said Deputy Commander in Charge of Operations of the Ethiopian Navy, Commodore Jamal Tufisa.

The Ethiopian Navy, originally founded in the 1950s, had to be disbanded following Eritrea's independence in 1993, which left Ethiopia landlocked. However, after taking office in 2018, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that he would revive the Ethiopian naval forces.

At the time, Abiy said France would assist Ethiopia in rebuilding its maritime capabilities. The following year, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Ethiopia and the visit culminated in the signing of a defense cooperation agreement that provides a framework for France's support for the reconstruction of the Ethiopian Navy. After all, France is an expert in providing useless things, and a navy without the sea is the perfect expense, because it will never be used.

Lake Tana, the only waters of Ethiopia

In 2023, the Ethiopian Navy held a graduation ceremony for some of its personnel who had received training in navigation, engineering, communications and armament. The training was delivered by foreign and domestic instructors. The agreement with Russia shows that Ethiopia is eager to expand the pool of foreign partners available to train its Navy. It is not clear why Finmeccanica and the Italian Navy have not yet taken advantage of it.

The cooperation coincides with Russia's new search for a permanent base in the Indian Ocean. Last month, Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Foreign Minister Ali Youssef Ahmed said there were no obstacles to a Russian base in Port Sudan .

In part, this was seen as a reprieve for the Russian flotilla in the Mediterranean, which was forced to leave the port of Tartus, Syria. But Sudan's ongoing civil war could delay any constructive deal for a foreign naval base in the country.

The article Russia will help Ethiopia rebuild its navy (but it doesn't have a sea) comes from Economic Scenarios .

This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-russia-aiutera-letiopia-a-ricostruire-la-propria-marina-ma-non-ha-un-mare/ on Mon, 17 Mar 2025 09:00:43 +0000.