Ethiopia seeks to acquire 4 billion euro worth of fighter jets, a 6000 kilometers range missile and helicopters among other things
borkena
November 19, 2019
A report published this week by one of the top French news provider, La Point, says Ethiopia is seeking to purchase weapons worth more than 4 billion Eu from France on a long term credit basis.
The report makes a reference to a letter, which it published, that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed wrote to the French President Emmanuel Macron requesting support “strengthen the Ethiopian Air Force.”
Apparently written in July of this year, according to a report by Le Point, the form of support Ethiopian Prime Minister was asking to be able to purchase fighter jets, military helicopters, military transport helicopters, long range missiles and nuclear warheads among other things.
The credit shopping list includes 12 combat aircraft, 18 helicopters, two Airbus manufactured military transport aircraft, 10 unmanned combat drones, electronic jamming system and 30 M51 missiles capable of hitting a target at 6000 kilometers distance, as revealed by La Point.
PM Abiy Ahmed’s letter is embedded below.
Ethiopia and France have singed a military cooperation agreement sometime in March 2019 as the former is planning to re-establish a naval force.
Apparently, France declined to entertain Ethiopia request to reinforce its defense system. And France’s position seem to have something to do with its relationship with Egypt whom the La Point report described as “a major buyer of French arms since 2014”
Tewfik Aclimando a professor at Cairo University and connoisseur of the Egyptian staff is quoted as saying “The Egyptians would take it badly, because we are more than in competition with the Ethiopians, who did everything to lead to the blocking of the diplomatic way.”
On the other hand, there are commentators who analyzed Ethiopia’s pursuit of modernizing its military within the context of Ethiopia’s role in the region.
The news source quoted, Sabine Planel, expert at Research Institute for Development (IRD) as saying “by equipping itself with a military arsenal, Ethiopia is strengthening its credibility in the region as a local guardian of peace. And stands as a bulwark against the jihadist movements present in the Horn of Africa”
France and Ethiopia have also cooperation agreements in other areas. For example, France embarked on a project of rescuing Ethiopia’s 13th century spiritual and cultural heritage, the rock-hewn churches of Lalibella,
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It’s a great for horn Africa and Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a key figure to stabilize the peace and stability of the region especially from alshebab ,…Good Job!
Abby Ahmed should first feed his people. And where in the hell will he aim at all these destructive weapons. At Weyane or Eritrea?
Is his “peaceful ” gesture with Eritrea really peaceful!! or something is brewing in Ethiopia. We shall wait and see.
To the Eritrean leadership & the Eritrean people, I would say we must be cautiously optimistic.
As the saying goes “you can fool some people some time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time”
Shimeles Abdisa is the leader of Oromos. Shimeles and Debretsion always work together closely showing that Tigrai state and Oromo state are at the same page.
Abiy is our chief of security, so far who secured us,mainly from rogue pardoned neftegnas such as Asaminew Tsige and Eskinder Nega.That’s why Debretsion is not concerned to enlist merge Tigrai’s soldiers to fight nephtegnas. Jawar is a philanthropist.
Since 2014 with one door closed many more were open.
Israel or Russia was the way to go in the first place for a purchase of this magnitude .
Where in the letter did the PM asked for the M51 missile with the nuclear warhead? The missile can be a multi purpose weapon system. I see the letter with the inclusion of the long range missile intended to send a message. If the PM really wants to procure nuclear missiles then it shows he has lost his mind. He has lost it, gone mad and should be sent to an asylum. He must explain this request just because it is going to send a shockwave and unsettle the nerves in the region. The fragile political environment that exists now in the old country should be the priority to tackle and nuclear laced armed race would be the death warrant for every species of the region. I urge the local reporters to ask the PM for clarification of his missile shopping list at the next press conference.
Please read that as: Where in the letter did the PM ask for the M51….
Every thing abiy is doing he is doing it for the people the tension in our region can not be solved with our former military shape especially we have to work on our air force most importantly to defend ethiopia from strong egyptian attack but I’m afraid France can decline this letter
yalenew eko mengistesemay aydelem midir lay nen ante lelit sitwota telat dabo yizo zytbikihim
ሀገርም ይሁን ግለሰብ ሰላምን ለማገግኘት የሀይል ሚዛን ያስፈልገዋል ፡፡
ቀለል አድርገን ብንወስደው ሚዳቆ አጥንት የሚሰብር ንክሻ ቢኖራት
አንበሳን እፅዋት ሲመገብ እናየው ነበር ፡፡
when you advance and try to have dominant or
make your power even with others it doesn’t mean you
are plotting some kind of plan to smash others and bring
them to submission but choosing a peaceful path and keeping
power balanced ro make it certain . else we can not make
sure the holocaust doesn’t repeat itself.
ኢትዮጲያ ለዘላለም ታፍራና ተከብራ ለዘላለም ትኑር፡፡
እግዚአብሄር ኢትዮጲያ ይባርክ፡፡
ASK Turkey, do not trust France, they are friendly with Egypt