Ethiopia and Uganda have reaffirmed their commitment to deepen bilateral ties and strengthen regional cooperation, following high-level talks in Addis Ababa and a separate meeting between Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo.
Uganda’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs for Regional Cooperation, Mulimba John, met with Ethiopian State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Hadera Abera on Thursday to discuss ways to expand economic collaboration, bolster regional peace and security, and enhance coordination through existing frameworks such as the long-standing Joint Ministerial Commission.
The talks also addressed continental initiatives, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), with both sides stressing the need to increase investment and business exchanges. Ethiopia further highlighted the importance of strengthening regional blocs like the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to advance the African Union’s Agenda 2063 goals.
Mulimba reiterated Uganda’s commitment to implementing previously signed agreements, while both countries emphasized counterterrorism cooperation, fair and equitable use of transboundary water resources, and the principle of “African solutions to African problems.”
The diplomatic exchanges come against the backdrop of ongoing tensions over Nile water rights. Ethiopia and Uganda are both signatories to the Nile Basin Agreement, a pact opposed by Cairo, which views it as undermining its historical claims. Egypt has long resisted any arrangement that could reduce its share of Nile waters.
During his meeting with Museveni in Cairo earlier this week, El-Sisi reportedly declared that Egypt would not allow “the Nile water to be touched,” a stance reflecting its firm opposition to upstream countries altering the flow or use of the river. Ethiopia, for its part, rejects what it describes as Egypt’s “monopoly” over the Nile and insists on an equitable allocation of the river’s resources — a position shared by Uganda.
