Ethiopia Renews Red Sea Port Push as Neighbours Draw a Line

Ethiopia lost its coastline more than three decades ago. Now Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is putting the search for a Red Sea port at the centre of another five-year term, even as relations with neighbouring countries deteriorate. Speaking at his swearing-in on Monday, Abiy renewed his demand for an outlet to the sea, according to Al Jazeera, setting out an ambition that faces resistance from governments across the region.

In his parliamentary address, Abiy presented access to the Red Sea as essential to Ethiopia’s civilisation and said his government would pursue it through reciprocal arrangements. His remarks repeated an established demand rather than announcing a port agreement. The distinction matters: Ethiopia has restated its goal, but the account gives no terms for securing access or a timetable for reaching a deal.

“Based on the principle of give and take, we will work diligently to ensure that Ethiopia has an outlet to the sea,” Abiy said.

A port ambition meets a regional divide

Ethiopia became landlocked in 1993, when Eritrea, previously part of Ethiopia, gained independence. That history sits behind the current dispute, but the immediate challenge is diplomatic. Eritrea has accused Ethiopia of trying to obtain sea access through Eritrean territory. Abiy’s latest appeal comes amid increasingly strained relations, with the port question unfolding alongside renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia and another dispute over the use of Nile waters.

On Sunday, representatives of Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia met in Egypt’s New Alamein. They called for regional cooperation while asserting that responsibility for governing the Red Sea belongs exclusively to coastal states. The meeting brought together governments whose position places a clear limit on Ethiopia’s claim to a role in discussions about the sea. They also opposed actions that could affect Egypt’s and Sudan’s use of Nile water.

Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry responded the following day by arguing that Red Sea discussions must take account of the country’s legitimate interests and its longstanding ties to the sea. The competing statements expose the central disagreement: Ethiopia wants its interests recognised despite having no coastline, while the governments gathered in Egypt put coastal states’ authority first.

Conflict and water complicate the search

The diplomatic divide extends beyond ports. Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of backing opposition forces in Tigray after fighting against Abiy’s government resumed in the northern region. Separately, Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile has strained relations with Egypt and Sudan, both of which depend on the river for water. These disputes form the backdrop to Abiy’s renewed push.

Somalia’s position leaves a possible opening for talks. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attended the Egypt meeting but also congratulated Abiy on his re-election and expressed a desire for closer bilateral relations. He had previously told Al Jazeera that Somalia did not oppose Ethiopian sea access through Somali territory, provided the two countries formally negotiated it. The next issue to watch is whether that stated willingness becomes negotiations over access, even as the wider argument over Red Sea governance continues.