Ethiopia-Eritrea tensions: Renewed war in the Horn of Africa? | DW News

There are fears of war breaking out in the horn of Africa as tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea run high. Both sides have moved troops toward their shared border. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing rebels and having troops on its soil. Eritrea denies the accusations.

Relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara have been uneasy since Eritrea gained independence in 1993. The countries have fought deadly wars since then. The recent escalation has come after Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced his intention to regain access to the Red Sea. Eritrea fears he will try to achieve this by invading its territory.

Ethiopia lost its access to the Red Sea and became landlocked in 1993 when an international ruling gave Eritrea sovereign control over the Red Sea ports of Assab and Massawa. Since then, Ethiopia has relied on ports in neighbouring countries, mostly Djibouti, for trade. The government says the lack of direct access to the Red Sea comes at a high economic cost for the country, and Abiy Ahmed says he is pursuing all options to change this.

#Eritrea #Ethiopia #HornofAfrica

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