Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has once again insisted that his landlocked country must be granted access to the Red Sea, even as conflict in northern Ethiopia threatens to widen into a regional war. He made the statement during his swearing-in ceremony on Monday for a second five-year term.
Speaking before parliament, Abiy repeated his earlier position that Ethiopia would work to secure a port on the Red Sea, stressing that sea access is a key element of the country's "civilization." "On the principle of give and take, we will work hard to ensure Ethiopia has access to the sea," he said.
The demand comes as Ethiopian forces push back opposition groups in the northern Tigray region. Those groups are backed by Eritrea, whose independence in 1993 cut off Addis Ababa's access to the sea.
Abiy's new term and his Red Sea declaration come amid steadily worsening relations between Ethiopia and its neighbors. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of supporting opposition forces in northern Tigray after fighting against Abiy's government reignited.
Small-scale clashes between federal troops and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) began in August, violating a three-year-old peace deal that had ended a devastating two-year war between the parties.
The fighting escalated after the formation of the Ethiopian People's Forces for Survival Alliance — a coalition of seven armed movements, including the TPLF, that has pledged to remove Abiy's government.
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Somalia does not oppose Ethiopia gaining Red Sea access through Somali territory, but added that the two countries need formal negotiations.
Four of the five Red Sea littoral states — Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia — met on Sunday in Egypt's New Alamein, asserting that oversight of the coastline belongs to the coastal states.
A day later, Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry said discussions on the Red Sea must take into account the country's "legitimate interests and long-standing ties" to the waterway.
