Ethiopia has announced that it will seize the port of Assab from Eritrea, either by force or by force.
Eritrea gained independence in 1993 after seceding from Ethiopia, leaving the country without access to the sea.
In 2021, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abbey Ahmen said that the issue of having a seaport is urgent and must be achieved by all means.
On September 1, 2025, Prime Minister Abbey said that the mistake Ethiopia made in accepting the loss of access to the sea will be corrected in the future.
The Ethiopian Ambassador to Kenya, Gen (Rtd) Bacha Debele, on November 3, 2025, said that the port of Assab is Ethiopian property and will be returned by force.
He said, “The question is not whether Assab is ours or not, but how we will return it.
On November 21, 2025, the Chief of Army Staff, Birhanu Jula, told the soldiers that they must fight against the country that has banned Ethiopia from working on the sea.
He said, “Our population has reached 130 million and will reach 200 million in the next 25 years. How can the interests of two million people outweigh those of 200 million people?”
Whenever Ethiopia talks about wanting to work on the sea, Eritrea throws tantrums and says it is a provocation aimed at trying to seize its territory.
