Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed speaks during a televised interview at the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Sept. 1, 2025. Abiy vowed that Ethiopia would soon “correct” what he called the historic mistake of losing access to the Red Sea, a declaration that has drawn sharp criticism from Eritrea.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has vowed to “correct” what he called the historic mistake of losing access to the Red Sea, framing the issue as a matter of national survival in comments likely to further strain relations with Somalia, Egypt and Eritrea.

In a Sept. 1 interview with state broadcaster ETV, Abiy said Ethiopia’s loss of direct access three decades ago after Eritrea’s independence could not continue. “The mistake made 30 years ago will be corrected tomorrow,” he said. “The Red Sea was in our hands 30 years ago. That history was yesterday’s mistake. Tomorrow it will be corrected. It is not too difficult.”

He added that Ethiopia’s growing population and economic ambitions made the issue urgent. “We have been silent for decades, but remaining a prisoner of the land is no longer sustainable,” Abiy said. “This is not a matter of pride, it has become an existential issue.”

The remarks came days after Gen. Teshome Gemechu, Ethiopia’s top military diplomat, described Eritrea’s Assab port as a “national objective.” Eritrean officials have accused Addis Ababa of threatening their sovereignty, calling the plan a “toxic agenda of territorial claims.”

Abiy’s declaration follows rising regional tension after Egypt began deploying troops to Somalia under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission (AUSSOM). Ethiopia views the move with suspicion, tying it to its long-running dispute with Cairo over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Ethiopia’s ambassador in Mogadishu, Suleiman Dedefo, warned last week that Egyptian forces could pose “a political and strategic challenge” to Ethiopia’s 4,000 soldiers already stationed in Somalia. Cairo has rejected such claims, with Egyptian officials insisting the deployment is at Mogadishu’s invitation and fully endorsed by the African Union Peace and Security Council.

Somali Defense Minister Abdulkadir Nur welcomed Egypt’s involvement, saying in September that Mogadishu would no longer wait for others to dictate its security partnerships. “Somalia has passed the stage where they were dictated to and awaited the affirmation of others on who it will engage with,” he said, thanking Egypt for its support.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed in July that Cairo’s support is rooted in strengthening Somalia’s unity, security, and territorial integrity, stressing that sustainable funding for AUSSOM is critical to avoid security gaps that al-Shabaab could exploit.

Egypt has also tightened coordination with Eritrea. In July, the two countries’ foreign ministers pledged to deepen political and security cooperation, aligning more closely after Egypt expanded its military role in Somalia. The trilateral alignment between Egypt, Eritrea, and Somalia emerged in October 2024 after Ethiopia signed a controversial memorandum with Somaliland granting it naval access to Berbera port, a deal Mogadishu rejected as a violation of its sovereignty.

Abiy, meanwhile, framed Ethiopia’s Red Sea ambitions as part of a broader development vision, citing the GERD as evidence that the government can deliver large-scale projects. “Now that we have seen we can begin and complete projects like the GERD, I can confidently say we will launch other major projects in the next five, 10 or 15 years. If we built this, what can’t we achieve?” he said.

The GERD, Africa’s largest hydroelectric plant, is expected to generate more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity. The dam has been a source of friction with Egypt, which fears it will reduce Nile River flows, and with Sudan, which has expressed similar concerns.

Abiy also announced plans to open the GERD to domestic visitors within 15 days, with more than 100 guesthouses prepared for tourists. He said Ethiopians should see the project as an example of how the country overcame challenges that held it back for centuries.

Ethiopia, landlocked since Eritrea’s independence in the early 1990s, has been working to rebuild a navy disbanded more than 30 years ago. Since taking office in 2018, Abiy has made restoring maritime capacity part of his broader military reform, arguing that the armed forces must “keep pace with a rapidly changing world while pursuing economic and political progress.”