GERD inauguration reignites Ethiopia's Red Sea Access ambitions

Ethiopia is tying the inauguration of its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) to a renewed claim for access to the Red Sea, an issue that threatens to unsettle an already tense Horn of Africa.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called Ethiopia's landlocked status "an existential issue," vowing to "correct the mistake made 30 years ago" when Eritrea's independence cut Addis Ababa off from the coast.

In a state television interview, he framed sea access as vital for Ethiopia's growing population and economic ambitions.

Military officials have described Eritrea's Assab port as a "national objective."

Asmara has dismissed the talk as a "toxic agenda," accusing Ethiopia of threatening its sovereignty.

The rhetoric comes as Egypt deploys troops to Somalia under an AU mission, a move Ethiopia views with suspicion.

Addis Ababa already has 4,000 soldiers in Somalia and fears Cairo is leveraging the GERD dispute through the Horn.

The dam itself remains fiercely opposed by Egypt and Sudan, who argue that Ethiopia's unilateral filling and operation endanger their water security.

Both countries have urged Addis Ababa to change course and work within the Nile Basin framework.

Kenya's President William Ruto and Djibouti's Ismaïl Omar Guelleh are expected to attend the launch, which Abiy has cast as a symbol of Ethiopian sovereignty.

But linking GERD's completion to sea access underscores the wider stakes: a project meant to power Ethiopia's growth could instead deepen regional rivalries and redraw the Horn's fault lines.

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• Ethiopia
• Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
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• ethiopia somaliland port deal
• red sea ethiopia
• ethipia red sea access deal
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