Ethiopia seeks mediation to ease tensions with neighbor
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says he has engaged partners, including Russia, to mediate his country’s Red Sea access dispute with Eritrea
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has requested international mediation to defuse escalating tensions with neighboring Eritrea over access to the Red Sea.
In a parliamentary address on Tuesday, Abiy said he had already held discussions with China, Russia, the US, the African Union, and the European Union and formally asked the actors to mediate a “lasting solution” between Addis Ababa and Asmara.
Ethiopia’s request for access to the sea is irreversible…We believe that the Red Sea issue is a legal, historical, geographical, and economic matter that must be approached calmly and thoughtfully,” he said.
Ethiopia lost direct access to the sea after Eritrea gained independence in 1993 following a long war. A new border conflict erupted in 1998 over disputed areas around Badme, killing tens of thousands on both sides before a peace deal in 2000 ended active hostilities and created a boundary commission. Relations improved in 2018 after Abiy came to power, and Eritrean forces later backed Ethiopia’s federal troops during the Tigray War between 2020-2022.
However, bilateral ties have deteriorated in recent months amid claims from Addis Ababa that Eritrea is preparing for war and coordinating with rebel groups operating in Ethiopia’s northern Amhara region.
The allegations come as tensions rise across the Horn of Africa over Ethiopia’s push to regain Red Sea access, a move the Eritrean government has warned could destabilize the region, deepen mistrust, and undermine prospects for cooperation.
On Tuesday, Abiy said his government has “no intention of going to war with Eritrea” and is “convinced this issue can be resolved peacefully.”
“Ethiopia cannot exist in isolation. Our message to our neighbors is that as Ethiopia grows, it will serve as a source of development and prosperity for the entire region,” he told parliament.
Last year, Ethiopia sparked a regional row after signing a deal with Somaliland to lease access to its coastline for commercial use and to build a naval base. Somalia, which considers Somaliland part of its territory, denounced the pact as illegal and a land grab. Turkish mediation helped the East African neighbors restore ties earlier this year.
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