By Shahzadi Irrum
Across Africa, a quiet transformation is unfolding in the security landscape. As conflicts persist and global institutions lose their effectiveness, regional cooperation is beginning to fill this void.
The continent is witnessing a gradual but deliberate move towards regional defense cooperation, an effort to take ownership of peace and stability after decades of relying on external actors. From the Alliance of Sahel States to the Horn of Africa’s evolving dynamics, these developments indicate a growing recognition that Africa’s security future must be shaped by African hands.
Amid this shift towards regional cooperation, Ethiopia and Kenya renewed their commitment to security cooperation by signing a new Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) on September 24, 2025, at the National Defense Headquarters in Addis Ababa. The agreement followed discussion between Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, and General Charles Muriu Kahariri, Chief of Kenya’s Defense Forces, coming sixty years after their first defense pact in 1963, the year Kenya gained independence. The DCA reflects the maturity of their bilateral relations and a shared resolve to confront common challenges. Designed to expand collaboration in joint military exercises, training, intelligence sharing, counterterrorism efforts, and related military matters. The pact signals both nations’ intent to build a self-reliant security framework in the Horn of Africa, one driven by partnership, not dependence on external power.
The DCA is a bold and decisive step, grounded in the understanding that no country can address the region’s security threats alone. Both nations bring their unique strengths and shared concerns to the table, united by the pressing need to address instability and terrorism that have plagued the Horn of Africa for years. Al-Shabab, in particular, has taken advantage of gaps in coordination and weak border security, undermining peace across the region. This agreement aims to close those gaps through intelligence sharing, joint operations, and coordinated defense strategies, forming a seamless barrier against emerging threats, a move that will likely be a nightmare for Al-Shabab. By doing so, Addis Ababa and Nairobi are not just protecting their own borders; they are establishing a strategic foundation for the Horn of Africa, around which regional security and coordinated defense can be built.
The agreement does more than strengthen Addis Ababa and Nairobi; it reshapes the Horn of Africa’s strategic map. By formalizing their defense partnership, the two countries create a new axis of influence, one that could inspire similar alliances in neighboring states. This pact sends a loud signal to neighbors, regional actors, and distant capitals alike: the Horn is no longer a zone where instability goes unchecked. Shared challenges are now a catalyst for collaboration, and local initiatives are becoming a driving force for security. In a region where chaos has often dictated strategy, Ethiopia and Kenya are showing that cooperation, coordination, and collective resolve can rewrite the rules of engagement, turning vulnerability into strength and instability into a new center of regional stability.
However, this growing cooperation has not been welcomed by all. The pact has unsettled several neighboring countries, each interpreting it through the lens of its own security and political interests. Somalia, still upset over Ethiopia’s Berbera Port deal with Somaliland, which it considers a direct challenge to its sovereignty, sees the new defense pact as another sign of Addis Ababa’s growing assertiveness. In response, Mogadishu has strengthened its ties with Eritrea and Egypt, forming a three-way alliance to counter Ethiopia’s expanding influence. Eritrea, with its long and tense history with Addis Ababa, views Kenya’s involvement as a strategic move that could shift the balance of power in Ethiopia’s favor, which could reignite old hostilities. Djibouti, on the other hand, fears losing its strategic advantage as Ethiopia’s main trade route, worried that closer military and logistical ties between Nairobi and Addis Ababa might eventually diminish its significance. Sudan, preoccupied with its own internal conflicts, stays cautious but continues to monitor Ethiopia’s actions closely due to their long-standing dispute over the Nile waters. Collectively, these reactions reveal that while the agreement strengthens Ethiopia and Kenya’s position, it also deepens mistrust and strategic competition across the Horn.
At a broader level, the DCA highlights a significant shift across Africa: when global institutions, such as the United Nations (UN), fail to respond decisively to evolving threats, regional coalitions emerge as alternative guarantors of peace and security. Across the continent, alliances like the Alliance of Sahel States have taken similar steps, not only confronting terrorism and broader instability but also asserting independence from foreign influence, including France’s long-standing military presence. Similar patterns can be observed beyond Africa, with agreements such as the Pakistan-Saudi defense pact demonstrating that nations are increasingly opting for hands-on, practical partnerships over waiting for distant actors to act. By forging this pact, Addis Ababa and Nairobi are signaling that Africa’s security will no longer be dictated from afar; it will be shaped regionally, by those who face the threats every day and are ready to confront them head-on.
In a nutshell, the agreement is born not only of necessity but also of quiet optimism, a belief that unity and cooperation can overcome the turbulence that has long defined the Horn of Africa. This pact offers more than strategic alignment; it represents a homegrown vision for peace, built by those who share the risks, the borders, and the resolves. It may well become the firewall that holds back the fire of regional chaos, a blueprint for cooperation that others might one day join. Yet, its strength will be measured not by the ink on the agreement but by the integrity and commitment that sustain it in moments of crisis. If Ethiopia and Kenya can uphold those commitments, they may succeed in redrawing the region’s security map. For no partnership can endure unless unity within is stronger than the forces arrayed against it. As an African proverb wisely says, “When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.”
Author: Shahzadi Irrum – Assistant Research Fellow (Balochistan Think Tank Network, Quetta), Pakistan.
(The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights).