Ethiopia’s PM insists on access to Red Sea despite regional conflict threat

What the report says

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed used the start of his new five-year term to renew his push for Ethiopian access to the Red Sea, a longstanding issue for the landlocked country. In remarks reported by Al Jazeera, Abiy told parliament that Ethiopia would work to secure an outlet to the sea, framing it as important to the country’s future and development.

The statement comes as tensions are rising in northern Ethiopia, where fighting has resumed in Tigray and raised fears of a broader regional confrontation. Al Jazeera reported that Ethiopian forces were pushing back opposition fighters, while Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of backing armed groups in the conflict. The renewed clashes follow a peace deal from three years ago that had ended a prior devastating war.

The Red Sea dispute also has a regional diplomatic dimension. Somalia’s president told Al Jazeera that Mogadishu would not object in principle to Ethiopia seeking access through Somali territory, but said any arrangement would have to be negotiated formally. Meanwhile, four Red Sea-bordering states met in Egypt and said that oversight of the coastline should remain with coastal countries. Ethiopia’s foreign ministry responded that any discussion must reflect its legitimate interests and historic connection to the waterway.

The issue matters because access to the Red Sea is economically and strategically significant for Ethiopia, while the debate is taking place amid fragile security in the Horn of Africa.