Ethiopia’s PM insists on access to Red Sea despite regional conflict threat

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and AP. Published On 5 Oct 20265 Oct 2026.

Key points

• After a resurgence of fighting against Abiy's administration, ethiopia has accused Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of supporting opposition forces in the northern Tigray region.
• Fighting intensified after the formation of the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival – a coalition of seven armed movements, including the TPLF.
• Abiy's new term and call for Red Sea access come against the backdrop of worsening relations between Ethiopia and its neighbours.
• Abiy created the demand as he was sworn in for another five-year term in power on Monday.
• "Based on the principle of give and take, we will work diligently to ensure that Ethiopia has an outlet to the sea, " he remarked.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has insisted that his landlocked country must have access to the Red Sea, despite a conflict in the north of the country that risks escalating into a regional conflict.

Abiy created the demand as he was sworn in for another five-year term in power on Monday. His call came as Ethiopian forces were pushing back opposition forces in the northern Tigray region. It are backed by Eritrea, whose independence in 1993 blocked Addis Ababa's access to the coast.

Repeating previous assertions, Abiy remarked in a speech in Parliament that the country would work to secure a port on the Red Sea, saying that access was critical to Ethiopia's "civilisation".

Lower-level clashes between the federal military and Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) began in August, violating a three-year-old peace accord that concluded a devastating two-year war between the parties.

Fighting intensified after the formation of the Ethiopian Peoples' Forces Alliance for Survival – a coalition of seven armed movements, including the TPLF. It has committed itself to removing Abiy's administration.

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud remarked Somalia did not object to Ethiopia gaining access to the Red Sea through Somali territory but went on that the two countries would need to officially negotiate.

Four of the five countries bordering the Red Sea – Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia – met on Sunday in Egypt's New Alamein, claiming that oversight of the coastline was reserved for bordering states.

For context, the after day, Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry stated discussions over the Red Sea must account for the country's "legitimate interests and enduring connection" to the body of water.

For now, ethiopia's PM insists on access to Red Sea despite regional conflict threat remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.