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Ethiopian PM Abiy demands Red Sea access as tensions with neighbours rise
Al Jazeera • • world
Key Points:
- Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, sworn in for another five-year term, reiterated the country's demand for access to the Red Sea, emphasizing its importance to Ethiopia’s civilization and economic interests.
- Ethiopia lost direct access to the Red Sea in 1993 after Eritrea's independence, and Abiy pledged to work toward securing a port based on mutual cooperation with neighboring countries.
- Relations between Ethiopia and neighboring countries, including Eritrea, Egypt, and Sudan, have deteriorated amid accusations of support for opposition forces in Tigray and disputes over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
- Four Red Sea coastal states—Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia—met recently to assert that governance of the sea is the responsibility of shoreline countries, rejecting external claims affecting their interests.
- Somalia’s president expressed willingness to negotiate Ethiopia’s access to the Red Sea through Somali territory, signaling potential regional cooperation despite ongoing tensions.
