ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia on Saturday accused Egypt of attempting to obstruct its long-running efforts to secure direct access to the Red Sea, escalating diplomatic tensions in the strategically sensitive Horn of Africa region.
The accusation came after reports that Egypt and Eritrea signed a maritime cooperation agreement during a high-level Egyptian delegation’s visit to the Eritrean capital, Asmara.
Speaking at a press briefing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Nebiyat Getachew said what he described as “unconstructive measures from Cairo” were aimed at weakening and diverting Ethiopia’s peaceful pursuit of sea access.
“Certain actors are attempting to politicize Ethiopia’s legitimate economic and strategic interests,” Nebiyat said. “Our quest for reliable and peaceful access to the sea is irreversible and grounded in regional economic integration.”
He accused Egypt of having “a long history of policies that fuel instability in the Horn of Africa,” adding that tensions tend to intensify whenever Ethiopia advances diplomatic initiatives related to maritime access.
Landlocked Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country, lost direct access to the sea after Eritrea gained independence in 1993. Since then, Addis Ababa has relied heavily on ports in neighboring Djibouti for the majority of its imports and exports.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has repeatedly described sea access as an existential issue for Ethiopia’s economic future, while insisting that Addis Ababa seeks a solution through peaceful negotiations and regional cooperation.
The latest tensions follow Ethiopia’s controversial memorandum of understanding signed earlier with Somaliland, under which Addis Ababa would gain access to part of the Gulf of Aden coastline in exchange for possible recognition of Somaliland. The agreement drew sharp criticism from Somalia, which described it as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Egypt has in recent months strengthened ties with Somalia and Eritrea amid broader regional rivalries with Ethiopia, particularly over the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River.
According to Eritrean state media, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir met Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki in Asmara this week, where discussions focused on maritime cooperation, regional security and economic coordination along the Red Sea corridor.
Neither Egypt nor Eritrea immediately responded publicly to Ethiopia’s latest accusations.
Analysts say the growing competition for influence around the Red Sea — one of the world’s most important shipping routes — risks deepening geopolitical tensions in the Horn of Africa, where rival alliances have increasingly emerged over security, trade and access to strategic ports.
