Ethiopia requests international mediation to ease tension with Eritrea
(MENAFN) Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appealed for international mediation to help ease growing tensions with Eritrea amid Addis Ababa’s renewed push for access to the Red Sea.
Speaking before parliament on Tuesday, Abiy said he had already engaged with China, Russia, the US, the African Union, and the European Union, requesting their involvement in facilitating a “lasting solution” between the two countries.
“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 became landlocked in 1993 after Eritrea gained independence, cutting off its direct access to the sea. Relations between the two nations have long been strained, including a bloody border war from 1998 to 2000 that left tens of thousands dead before a peace deal was reached. Ties improved in 2018 when Abiy assumed office, leading to a historic thaw and military cooperation during Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict from 2020 to 2022.
Recently, however, relations have soured amid Ethiopian claims that Eritrea is mobilizing for war and working with insurgents in the Amhara region. Eritrea has cautioned that Ethiopia’s attempts to reclaim maritime access could heighten regional instability and erode mutual trust.
Abiy sought to downplay fears of conflict, asserting that Ethiopia remains committed to diplomacy. “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 lawmakers.
The renewed tensions come months after Ethiopia signed a controversial deal with Somaliland to lease coastal access for trade and naval purposes—a move Somalia condemned as a violation of its sovereignty. Turkish mediation later helped the two sides mend relations earlier this year.
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