Ethiopia and Morocco signed a military cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening defense ties through joint training, exercises, scientific research and military health programs. The agreement establishes a joint military commission to oversee its implementation.
Ethiopia’s Defense Minister Aisha Mohammed Mussa and Abdellatif Loudiyi, Morocco’s minister in charge of the National Defense Administration signed the accord on June 17, 2025, in Rabat, Morocco.
Several weeks before the signing, Ethiopia hosted a high-level delegation of Moroccan officers at Homicho Ammunition Engineering Complex and the Ethiopian Air Force headquarters, where they were briefed on Ethiopia’s efforts to improve defense manufacturing and operational readiness.
“Both Ethiopia and Morocco have committed to cooperating on the peace and security of Africa,” Maj. Gen. Teshome Gemechu, Ethiopia’s director-general of external relations and military cooperation, told Addis Media Network. “Military institutions from both nations have expressed a strong interest in sharing experiences, particularly in technology transfer, cybersecurity and the Navy.”
The move comes after a 2024 visit by Moroccan King Mohammed VI, during which the two countries signed a range of agreements on issues including air services, trade, taxation, investment, agriculture and renewable energy. Morocco has sought to deepen ties with Sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, particularly since it rejoined the African Union in 2017.
Ethiopia and Morocco share security goals such as stopping the spread of terror groups and shutting down organized crime networks that operate in North Africa and the Horn of Africa.
“By strengthening its military cooperation with Ethiopia, Morocco aims to secure common interests and block any attempt to threaten those interests, and to confront the common threats and challenges facing the African continent as a whole, such as organised crime and terrorism,” journalist Mohammed Mamouni Al-Alawi wrote for the news website Atalayar.