Ethiopia: 'We Lost It Ourselves' - Abiy Admits Internal Flaws Cost Ethiopia Red Sea
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has attributed the country's loss of Red Sea access to internal political fragmentation rather than external coercion. He emphasized that domestic divisions have historically allowed foreign actors to undermine Ethiopia's strategic interests.
Why it matters
This admission marks a significant shift in rhetoric regarding Ethiopia's geopolitical strategy and its ongoing quest for maritime access in the Horn of Africa.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has renewed his government's argument that Ethiopia's loss of direct access to the Red Sea was primarily the result of domestic political divisions rather than external coercion, saying the country became "a geographic prisoner" because of its own internal weaknesses.
Addressing the opening of the National Dialogue Forum in Addis Ababa on Wednesday, Mr Abiy told more than 4,000 delegates that Ethiopia's historical inability to manage internal differences had enabled outside actors to exploit divisions, ultimately undermining the country's strategic interests, including access to the Red Sea.
"In this journey, through our own internal weakness and their opportunism, we lost our access to the Red Sea," Mr Abiy said.
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