Ethiopia has no intention of going to war with neighboring Eritrea, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has stated. Ethiopia, a landlocked country in East Africa, has been facing concerns regarding its access to the sea.
His remarks came amid previous concerns that Ethiopia might consider forcibly seizing a port from Eritrea. Speaking in Parliament on Thursday (March 20), Abiy Ahmed emphasized that any discussions about sea access should be based on diplomacy and mutual benefit rather than conflict.
“Our goal is to negotiate based on a ‘give-and-take’ principle. Eritrean people need development, not conflict. Our plan is not to wage war but to work together and grow together,” he said. However, he also stressed that discussions on port access should not be prohibited, as international norms support large countries having access to the sea.
In recent weeks, concerns have arisen that tensions in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region could escalate into conflict, partly due to Eritrea’s involvement. Although the two-year civil war ended in November 2022, political divisions in Tigray have led to instability, with accusations that Eritrea is interfering in the region’s internal politics.
On Thursday, Tigray’s interim president, Getachew Reda, accused his rivals of colluding with Eritrea. Eritrea had previously supported the Ethiopian federal government during the civil war. However, Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh rejected these claims, stating that Eritrea had no involvement in the tensions in northern Ethiopia.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timotheos recently suggested that a group in Tigray may have ties to Eritrea, though he did not provide specific details.
Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in the 1990s, causing Ethiopia to lose direct sea access. The two countries engaged in a border war between 1998 and 2000. Relations improved slightly after Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018, but recent tensions have raised concerns about renewed conflict.