Is Ethiopia aiming to intimidate Eritrea over access to the sea?

The TPLF is also the common denominator in the past enmity between the two countries: Although its ethnic group constituted only around 6% of the Ethiopian population, the TPLF dominated domestic politics for decades and enforced a harsh policy against Eritrea. "The Red Sea for the Egyptians is as important as the River Nile, because the income they get from the Suez Canal, if there is any problems on the southern entrance of the Bab el-Mandab to the Red Sea, then their income would be affected," Sayed said. The former UN diplomat told DW: "I think the issue of Assab will never disappear from the political arena of both the government and even the most opposition groups, because, first of all, there are many, at least not the current generation, but my generation and so on, we still can't absorb the fact that Eritrea is no more part of Ethiopia."

Author: David Ehl

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