Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to resolving its long-standing dispute with Eritrea over access to the sea through diplomacy, rather than conflict. Speaking to parliament on Thursday, Abiy emphasized that Ethiopia, the world’s most populous landlocked nation, has no intention of waging war to secure a seaport. His remarks come amid growing concerns that tensions between the two neighbors, which have a history of conflict, could escalate once again.
In 2023, Abiy described access to the sea as an “existential issue” for Ethiopia, sparking fears that the country might resort to military action to reclaim its lost coastline. Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia in the 1990s, leaving Ethiopia without direct access to the Red Sea. The two nations later fought a brutal two-year border war from 1998 to 2000, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Although relations normalized in 2018 after Abiy came to power, recent developments have strained the fragile peace.
Abiy stressed that Ethiopia’s goal is to negotiate sea access based on mutual benefit and the principle of “give and take.” He stated, “What the Eritrean people need is development, not conflict. Our plan is not to fight but to work together and grow together.” However, he also noted that discussions about maritime access should not be considered taboo, as global norms recognize the importance of sea access for large nations.
Meanwhile, tensions in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region have raised fears of renewed conflict, potentially involving Eritrea. A two-year civil war in Tigray ended in November 2022, but the peace deal has begun to unravel as political divisions deepen. Tigray’s interim president, Getachew Reda, recently accused Eritrea of interfering in the region’s internal affairs, alleging that Asmara sees turmoil in Tigray as an opportunity to advance its own interests. Eritrea has denied these claims, with Foreign Minister Osman Saleh dismissing the allegations as baseless.
Despite these denials, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timotewos has expressed suspicions that one of Tigray’s factions has ties to Eritrea. As both nations navigate these complex dynamics, the international community remains watchful, hoping that diplomacy will prevail over conflict in the Horn of Africa.
