It is historically attested and as practical actions would have it, the Horn of Africa, predominantly composed of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Somaliland is a region with diverse political and economic interests, and Spain’s involvement is primarily through trade and development aid.
Yes, Spain has been actively supporting the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, as well as regional mediation efforts in the Horn of Africa region.
The Ethiopian Herald had a stay with Spanish Ambassador to Ethiopia, Guillermo López Mac-Lellan, and he said that Spain has been actively supporting the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in countries such as Sudan, South Sudan, and Somalia, given the current situation in East Africa.
Ambassador said, “As the security threats from Al-Shabaab and the situation in Yemen contribute to instability in the region, Spain has been assisting security efforts in the region by participating in the UTM, a European Union mission aimed at supporting the Somali government. Hence, through the EU, we have funded missions like AMISOM, ADMIS, and now AUSOM to address these challenges.”
According to the Ambassador, there are significant crises affecting the stability of the continent, with terrorism prevalent in the Sahel region. The Horn of Africa holds a unique position as a crossroads with Asia, bringing both positive influences and threats of terrorism. Spain considers Ethiopia as a major partner, too, centering the longstanding bilateral relations in development cooperation; trade, investment, aviation and other fields have been highly augmented in recent years. Like Ethiopia, Spain is ready to enhance its ever growing and comprehensive relations with Ethiopia.
The civil war in Sudan has had a significant impact on Ethiopia, affecting its economy and leading to an influx of refugees. The ambassador mentioned his participation in a peace and security seminar through IGAD, emphasizing the importance of mediation and promoting dialogue between conflicting parties.
Supporting regional mediation efforts, such as those led by IGAD and the African Union, is crucial, according to the Ambassador. With new leadership in the African Union focusing on peace, security, and early warning systems, there is hope for stability in East Africa. This stability is essential for the region’s development, given its vast resources and large population.
“Achieving stability in the East Africa region is vital for economic growth and prosperity. Through harnessing resources, promoting agriculture, and investing in youth, the region can emerge as a strong force in Africa,” he said.
Yes, Spain has been actively involving in supporting the fight against terrorism in the Horn of Africa, particularly through EU-led missions and initiatives. It is a donor nation to the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund and has contributed forces to training missions in Mali and Somalia. Additionally, Spain has contributed troops to EU-led training missions in Mali and Somalia, demonstrating its commitment to supporting regional security efforts. This initiative, involving European and North African nations, aims at building capacity in counter-terrorism, maritime security, and other areas.
As far as the global community engagement and resilience fund is concerned, Spain is a donor to this fund, which supports community-based approaches to counter-terrorism and resilience building. The country has also fostered international cooperation. Furthermore, Spain participates in various international initiatives, including the EU’s Neighborhood, Development, and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and the European Peace Facility, which are designed to strengthen international security and peace.
He said, “The Horn of Africa Region is the easternmost extension of African land and home to the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia,, whose cultures have been have been linked throughout their long history. As stated earlier, Spain has a strategic focus on Africa, particularly the Horn of Africa, with a strategy in place to strengthen ties and promote cooperation. Spain’s efforts in the region aim at being a bridge between Europe and Africa focusing on mutual respect and cooperation.”
In 2004 Spain discovered sub-Saharan Africa, after five centuries of living with its back to the continent. Since then, the government has been striving to establish diplomatic and economic outreach and deploy assistance via development aid and security cooperation. In terms of development aid, Spain has dramatically increased its bilateral funds to sub-Saharan Africa with substantial amount.
Spain has a significant presence and engagement with the Horn of Africa, focusing on cooperation, peace building, and development. Spain’s involvement in the region includes consular assistance, development projects, economic partnerships, and support for peace missions. The Spain-Africa Strategy 2025-2028 aims at strengthening ties with the continent, including the Horn of Africa, with a focus on mutual respect, cooperation, and joint action.
It is also recurrently cited that Spain’s involvement in the Horn of Africa is multifaceted, encompassing military missions, development aid, and strategic partnerships. As some sources state that Spain has a long-standing presence in the region, particularly in Somalia, through EU-led military operations like Operation Atalanta and EUTM Somalia, which aims at countering piracy and support the Somali National Army. Beyond Somalia, Spain contributes to humanitarian efforts, like the World Food Program’s response to food insecurity in the Horn of Africa, too.
As what is reported by The Africa Report, Spain also aims at strengthening its strategic ties with the region through the “Horizonte África” initiative and by fostering partnerships in areas like renewable energy and technology.
Spain is actively seeking to build stronger strategic ties with the Horn of Africa region through initiatives like “Horizonte África,” which aims at consolidating a relationship based on mutual respect, cooperation, and joint action.
It is also stated that Spain’s engagement in the Horn of Africa is also influenced by its historical ties to the region and its strategic interests, including territorial defense, maritime security, and the prevention of illegal migration.
The Horn of Africa region has experienced a substantial increase in the number and size of foreign military deployments since 2001, especially over the past decade. A wide range of regional and international security actors are currently operating in the Horn and the foreign military installations include land-based facilities.
Over the last two decades, Spain has established itself in the western region of the African continent as a modest but reliable partner, with a mission to cooperate for the region’s increased social and economic well-being. Spain maintains the closest ties of cooperation with many African, especially Horn of African states particularly concerning diplomatic, commercial, security and defense, and cultural. In the background, behind the European Union’s external action, Spain is working to build a model of relations with West African countries that will allow it to occupy a place as a decisive actor that holds sway in the region.
The best testimony of Spain’s commitment to firmly cement its ties with Africa can be the first Africa-Spain Cooperation Forum, which was in Madrid in 2023, organized by One Africa Forums, a platform that sought to promote dialogue and partnerships between the two continents.
The forum was part of the Focus Africa 2023 strategy, approved by the Spanish government to strengthen its external action in and with Africa, based on five strategic objectives: peace and security; sustainable development; inclusive economic growth; institutional cooperation; and mobility and migration.
In general, as far as the relations between Ethiopia and Spain care concerned, within the framework of the Spanish policy towards Africa, Ethiopia is considered a high priority country; both countries collaborate in the Spanish international initiative Alliance of Civilization and other global initiatives. Spain has, as a member state, been playing an active role in the policy dialogue and foreign action of the European Union in Ethiopia and other Horn countries in terms of making various sectors proliferated with a special emphasis to fighting terrorism. Since Ethiopia is always keen to enhance its historical and wide-ranging cooperation with Spain to a strategic level, the other party has to develop firm commitment in return.
BY MENGESHA AMARE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2025
