Addis Ababa's renewed calls for sea access threaten an already fragile relationship with Eritrea, drawing anger from Asmara.
Tensions between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea have escalated after Ethiopian police said they had seized a lorry full of ammunition allegedly sent from Eritrea to Ethiopian Fano rebels based in Amhara state. Fano rebels have waged an insurgency against the Ethiopian military since 2023. In response, Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel told Reuters Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party was looking for a pretext to attack Eritrea. He said the "regime is floating false flags to justify the war that it has been itching to unleash for two long years." The latest development comes amid a growing feud between Eritrea and Ethiopia over landlocked Ethiopia's lack of sea access. Eritrea's 1993 independence left Ethiopia without direct access to the Red Sea, which Ethiopian Prime Minister Ahmed sees as a defining strategic constraint for Africa's second-most populous country. About 90% of Ethiopia's maritime trade now funnels through Djibouti, a dependence Ethiopian officials argue leaves the country exposed to rising costs, logistical chokepoints and shifting geopolitical alliances.
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