Somalia Rebuffs Ethiopia’s Bid to Gain Direct Access to Red Sea Port
- Ethiopia has called for talks with neighbors on harbor access
- Somalia to retain control of strategic assets, minister says
A tanker ship anchored in the Red Sea.
Photographer: Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Somalia rejected an appeal from Ethiopia to enter into negotiations with a view to granting it access to a Red Sea port.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week warned that his country’s lack of access to a harbor is a potential source of future conflict and called for efforts to address the issue in order to safeguard regional stability. Ethiopia lost its direct access to the sea in 1993 when Eritrea gained independence after a three-decade war.