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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated his pledge not to invade neighboring nations over the Red Sea. At the same time, he insisted that his government would not abandon its demand for port access
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated his pledge not to invade neighboring nations over the Red Sea. At the same time, he insisted that his government would not abandon its demand for port access. Last month Abiy’s remarks about the Red Sea recently raised regional concerns, particularly as tensions emerged with neighboring Eritrea, which has a long coastline. Ethiopia is a landlocked country and the Red Sea is a key waterway for global trade. The country is presently using the ports in Djibouti and Eritrea for its external trade.
In a televised speech on October 13, Abiy said countries should mutually share their facilities in a balanced way to live together in peace. Many have interpreted the statement as having a threatening tone. Since then Abiy has sought to alleviate regional fears, telling a military parade two weeks later that Ethiopia would not pursue its interests through war and committed to serve mutual interest through dialogue and negotiation.
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Ethiopia has the second largest population in Africa after Nigeria. While addressing the lawmakers, Aby reassured everyone that his country did not have any plan to invade others. But he remarked that Ethiopia could not go on and on fairly requesting port access. Eritrea’s response to this statement was cautious and tongue-in-cheek, mentioning that the statement was excessive. Ethiopia lost its coastline after Eritrea broke away from Addis Ababa and formally declared independence in 1993 following a three-decade war. It enjoyed access to a port in Eritrea until the two countries went to war in 1998-2000, and since then has relied largely on Djibouti for imports and exports.
