India Expands Military Ties With Ethiopia and South Africa
India is strengthening strategic defense partnerships with Ethiopia and South Africa through joint military talks, technology sharing, and industrial cooperation following the 18th BRICS Summit.
The Government of India is aggressively expanding its military and strategic partnerships across Africa, initiating a series of high-level defense engagements following the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. These efforts focus on transitioning traditional diplomatic ties into concrete industrial and technological collaborations.
In Addis Ababa, India and Ethiopia held their second Joint Defence Cooperation meeting on September 28. Co-chaired by Sanjay Kumar of the Indian Ministry of Defence and Major General Teshome Gemechu, the talks focused on joint ventures in defense production, peacekeeping, and personnel exchanges. This meeting builds upon a 2025 Memorandum of Understanding and the elevation of bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership in December 2025. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali previously reviewed these security partnerships during their September 12 meeting.
Simultaneously, India has renewed military momentum with South Africa. Following a September 13 meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Cyril Ramaphosa, the two nations conducted their first Army-to-Army Staff Talks from September 16 to 18. The South African delegation reviewed India's indigenous defense capabilities and AI infusion initiatives at the 505 Army Base Workshop. Cooperation has also extended to the maritime domain, including a 2024 agreement on submarine crew safety and South Africa's participation in Exercise Milan and India's 2026 International Fleet Review.
