Ethiopia again demands access to the Red Sea as tensions with neighbors escalate

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed insists his country must have access to the Red SeaADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated on Monday that his landlocked country must have access to the Red Sea, despite neighboring countries saying at a summit Sunday that responsibility for the sea rests with states along its shores and warning of the risk of regional conflict.Ethiopia lost direct access to the Red Sea in 1993 after Eritrea, formerly a region of Ethiopia, became independent. Abiy said access to the Red Sea was critical to Ethiopia’s “civilization” and that he would work to ensure the country has a port.“Based on the principle of give and take, we will work diligently to ensure that Ethiopia has an outlet to the sea,” he said shortly after being sworn in for a third term.Ethiopia's relations with its regional neighbors have deteriorated in recent months. The country also faces renewed war with separatist rebels in the northern Tigray region. Fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front have clashed with federal troops in the Tigray region, where a devastating two-year war ended in 2022. Researchers at Ghent University, in Belgium, estimated t...