Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has made it clear that his country has no plans to go to war with neighbouring Eritrea over access to the sea. Speaking to parliament on Thursday, Abiy addressed growing concerns about the possibility of renewed conflict between the two nations. According to a report by the BBC, the Prime Minister emphasised that Ethiopia is committed to resolving its maritime ambitions through peaceful negotiation.
Abiy’s comments come months after his 2023 remarks describing sea access as an ‘existential issue’ for Ethiopia sparked alarm. Some regional observers feared the landlocked country, which lost direct access to the sea when Eritrea seceded in the early 1990s, might consider taking military action.
Negotiation, not conflict, says Ethiopia’s leader
‘Our intention is to negotiate based on the principle of give and take,’ Abiy told lawmakers, stressing diplomacy as the preferred path forward. He also highlighted the importance of mutual development for both Ethiopia and Eritrea. ‘What the Eritrean people need is development, not conflict. Our plan is not to fight but to work together and grow together,’ he said.
Abiy further argued that the conversation around Ethiopia’s need for sea access should not be seen as controversial. He pointed out that international norms often recognise the maritime needs of large nations. Despite his reassurances, analysts note that Abiy’s emphasis on gaining a seaport continues to raise questions about how Ethiopia will proceed if negotiations fail.
Tensions persist in Tigray as Eritrea denies involvement
While Abiy seeks to ease fears over Ethiopia’s maritime ambitions, tensions remain high in the northern Tigray region. There are growing concerns that the fragile peace, which ended a two-year civil war in 2022, could unravel.
The BBC reports that Tigray’s Interim President, Getachew Reda, has accused his political rivals of colluding with Eritrea to destabilise the region. ‘We have reason to believe external actors are involved,’ Getachew said last week, claiming Eritrea is interfering to pursue its own interests.
Eritrean officials have denied these allegations. Eritrea’s Foreign Minister Osman Saleh told diplomats in Asmara on Tuesday that his government ‘categorically rejects’ claims of involvement in Tigray’s internal disputes. Nevertheless, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timotewos suggested last week that one faction in Tigray may be cooperating with Eritrea, although he provided no concrete evidence.
A complicated history between neighbours
Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have been fraught for decades. After Eritrea’s independence in 1993, Ethiopia lost its coastline, becoming the world’s most populous landlocked nation. The two countries later fought a bloody border war from 1998 to 2000, costing tens of thousands of lives.
A peace agreement was signed in 2018 after Abiy came to power, briefly raising hopes for lasting normalisation. However, many of the improvements in relations have since deteriorated, leaving both nations in a delicate and often tense situation.
As Abiy’s government insists on diplomacy to secure Ethiopia’s seaport needs, regional experts warn that lingering distrust between Ethiopia and Eritrea—compounded by instability in Tigray—continues to pose a serious risk to lasting peace.
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