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PM Abiy Ahmed's Statements on Gaining Sea Access by Force

BinTake @bintekbin

March 20, 2025

This report presents evidence that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has made multiple statements suggesting or insinuating that Ethiopia might use force to gain sea access from Eritrea, if peaceful means fail. The evidence spans from July 2023 to March 2025 and includes statements reported by international media outlets, as well as content from Amharic-language sources. The most direct evidence comes from reported statements to businessmen and investors, where PM Abiy explicitly mentioned using force if peaceful means fail to secure port access.

In a speech PM Abiy Ahmed made to parliament on March 20, 2025, he stated that Ethiopia has no interest in acquiring a seaport from Eritrea by force. However, in recent months, Ethiopian government media airwaves have been dominated by propaganda directed against Eritrea, emphasizing that Ethiopia must secure ownership of Assab, whether through peaceful negotiations or by force. This rhetoric has not been limited to members of the Prosperity Party (PP) elites but has extended to individuals at the ministerial level, high-ranking military officers, and a former Ethiopian president, all of whom have leveled unfounded accusations against Eritrea. Furthermore, the PP has mobilized its social media networks, deploying an army of trolls to spread anti-Eritrea propaganda, with a primary focus on justifying the acquisition of Assab by force. Despite his latest denial, PM Abiy has repeatedly suggested and insinuated in the past that the use of force remains a potential option.

Background Context

Ethiopia became landlocked in 1993 when Eritrea gained independence, losing its direct access to the Red Sea. Since then, Ethiopia has primarily relied on Djibouti for port access, which PM Abiy has described as costly and unsustainable for Ethiopia's growing population and economy. In recent years, PM Abiy has increasingly framed sea access as an "existential issue" for Ethiopia, making it a central focus of his foreign policy rhetoric.

Key Evidence

1. July 2023: Meeting with Investors

As reported by Al Jazeera (November 14, 2023), during a meeting with investors in July 2023, PM Abiy Ahmed

openly and unambiguously said that while Ethiopia wants to 'get a port through peaceful means', if that plan fails, it would not hesitate to 'use force'.

This appears to be the earliest documented instance, where PM Abiy explicitly mentioned using force to gain sea access.

2. October 13, 2023: Parliamentary Speech

PM Abiy delivered a significant speech to the Ethiopian parliament that was televised and widely reported:

• According to Al Jazeera, Abiy said Ethiopia has "natural rights" to directly access the Red Sea, and if denied these rights,

there will be no fairness and justice and if there is no fairness and justice, it's a matter of time, we will fight.

• Ethiopia Observer reported him saying:

If we don't find an alternative through dialogue, discussion today... It could be dangerous,

regarding Ethiopia's pursuit of sea access.

• He also stated:

The Red Sea and the Nile are intimately linked to Ethiopia, serving as the pillars that could either propel the country's progress or lead to its demise.

3. October-November 2023: Amharic Media Coverage

Following PM Abiy's parliamentary speech, several Amharic-language videos appeared discussing his statements:

• A YouTube video titled "

ቀይ ባህር እንወስዳለን በጉልበት ወይም በስምምነት

(Translation: "We will take the Red Sea by force or by agreement") directly references gaining access

by force or by agreement

in its title.

• Another YouTube video titled

ቀይ ባህር ቀጣዩ የኢትዮጵያ እና ኤርትራ ጦርነት መነሻ ይሆን? የጠ/ርአብይ ንግግር ስለ ወደብ

(Translation: "Will the Red Sea be the next cause of war between Ethiopia and Eritrea? PM Abiy's speech about the port") analyzes whether Abiy's statements could potentially lead to conflict.

4. November 7, 2023: BBC Reporting

BBC News published an article titled

Ethiopia PM Abiy Ahmed eyes Red Sea port, inflaming tensions

which reported that PM Abiy Ahmed told a meeting of businessmen that

we want to get a port by peaceful means. But if that fails we will use force.

5. March 14, 2025: Reuters Reporting

A Reuters article titled

Why are Ethiopia and Eritrea on the brink of a possible war?

mentioned that

Eritrean officials have bristled at repeated public declarations by Abiy since 2023 that landlocked Ethiopia has a right to sea access,

indicating that Abiy has continued to make such declarations over a period of more than a year.

Analysis of Rhetoric Patterns

The evidence reveals, several consistent patterns in PM Abiy Ahmed's rhetoric regarding Ethiopia's access to the Red Sea:

1. Dual Approach: Throughout his statements, Abiy consistently presents a dual approach - expressing preference for peaceful negotiations while simultaneously suggesting willingness to use force if necessary.

2. Escalation of Language: Starting with the July 2023 meeting with investors, Abiy has framed sea access as an existential issue for Ethiopia, with statements becoming increasingly assertive over time.

3. Sustained Campaign: The evidence spans from July 2023 to March 2025, indicating this is not an isolated statement but rather a sustained position over nearly two years.

4. Existential Framing: Abiy consistently frames sea access as vital for Ethiopia's survival and future development, particularly in light of its growing population.

International Reactions

Neighboring countries have expressed concern about PM Abiy's statements:

1. Eritrea: The Eritrean ambassador to Japan, Estifanos Afeworki, wrote on Twitter saying that

There is no if and but about Eritrea's sovereignty and territorial integrity. No amount of illegitimate instigation, propaganda, conspiracy, and defamation can change this truth.

2. According to Al Jazeera, Djibouti, Somalia, and other regional countries have also expressed concern about Ethiopia's rhetoric regarding sea access.

Conclusion

Based on the evidence collected from multiple sources, including international media reports and Amharic-language content, there is substantial documentation that PM Abiy Ahmed has suggested or insinuated about getting sea access by force if necessary from Eritrea. The most direct evidence comes from his reported statements to businessmen and investors in July 2023, where he explicitly mentioned using force if peaceful means fail.

His parliamentary speech in October 2023, while using more diplomatic language in some reports, still contained references to "fighting" if Ethiopia's "natural rights" to sea access are denied. The titles of Amharic videos discussing the topic directly reference gaining access

by force or by agreement,

suggesting this was a known position of the Prime Minister in Amharic-language discourse.

This pattern of statements over nearly two years indicates a consistent position rather than isolated or out-of-context remarks, providing strong evidence that PM Abiy Ahmed has indeed suggested using force to gain sea access if peaceful means fail.


References


BBC News. (November 7, 2023). Ethiopia PM Abiy Ahmed eyes Red Sea port, inflaming tensions. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67332811

Al Jazeera. (November 14, 2023) . Abiy Ahmed's imperial ambitions are bad news for Africa, and the world. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023 ... -the-world

Ethiopia Observer. (October 15, 2023) . "Securing Red Sea access vital for Ethiopia's survival," Abiy Ahmed. https://www.ethiopiaobserver.com/2023/1 ... biy-ahmed/

Reuters. (March 14, 2025) . Why are Ethiopia and Eritrea on the brink of a possible war? https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/wh ... 025-03-14/

YouTube Video: "ቀይ ባህር እንወስዳለን በጉልበት ወይም በስምምነት" (We will take the Red Sea by force or by agreement) .

YouTube Video: "ቀይ ባህር ቀጣዩ የኢትዮጵያ እና ኤርትራ ጦርነት መነሻ ይሆን? የጠ/ር አብይ ንግግር ስለወደብ" (Will the Red Sea be the next cause of war between Ethiopia and Eritrea? PM Abiy's speech about the port) .

________________







Like they're cloned:

[Meleket]

ድርብ ዕያር!

PM Abiy Ahmed's Statements on Gaining Sea Access by Force

BinTake @bintekbin

March 20, 2025
....

ፕሮፉርሸር ዘሜ ዘመሰሎ ዓቢ ሰብ ወዲ ዓበይቲ፡ ኣብ ሞንጎ አተሓሳስባ ፒፒን አርበኞችን ብዛዕባ አፍደገ ባሕሪ ዘሎ ፍልልይ ክተብርሃልና ትኽእል’ዶ? እቲ ኣብ ሕቁፊ ሕዝቢ ኤርትራ ሟሙቑ ዚነብር ዝነበረ ዓርኽኻ “ሓርበኛ ኣንዳርጋቸው ፅገ” እንታይ ኢዩ ዚብል ዛሎ፡ ኣይሰምዕኹን ከይትብል ድማ ካብ ብሕጂ ንዓኻን ንመሰልትኻን ተራን ወደላትን ካድራት ንሕና ኤርትራዉያን ደያኑ ማእከልን መስመርን እዙይ ነመልክተልኩም ኣሎና፡ ብኤርትራዊ ጭዉነትን ሓበንን ፍናንን!

ክትስኡን ክትድቅሱን ጉዳይ “ትግባረ ፊዚካል ዲማርኼሽን ኣይትረስዑ” ቢልና ብስም ጀጋኑ ስዉኣት ደቂ ኤርትራን ህዝቢ ኤርትራን ብሓፈሻ ንምዕደኩም ኣሎና! https://mereja.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=308857&

ትውልድ አይደናገር እኛም እንናገር [አርበኛ አንዳርጋቸው ፅጌ] (ገጽ489)

የባህር በር ጉዳይ አንድ ኣልባት ካላገኘ የጊዜ ጉዳይ ብቻ እንጂ አካባቢውን ለሌላ ቀውስ እንደሚዳርገው ከመቶ ፐርሰንት በላይ እርግጠኛ ሆኖ መናገር ይቻላል። ኢትዮጵያን የሚያህል ታሪካዊ ሃገር ማንም ቅኝ ገዥ ጠፍጥፎ በሰራቸው ሃገሮች ከባህር በቅርብ ርቀት እንዳትደርስ ተደርጋ የታሰረችበትን ገመድ ለመበጠስ የተለያዩ እርምጃዎች የሚወስድ ትውልድ መምጣቱ አይቀርም። ተስፋችን እነዚህ እርምጃዎች የሁለቱን ሃገር ደሃ ህዝቦች ለሌላ ዙር እልቂት የማይዳርጉ ይሆናሉ የሚል ነው።



ቀደም ብዬ እንደጠቀስኩት ደርግ ስልጣን ላይ ሲወጣ በአዲስ መንግስትነቱ የኤርትራን ጉዳይ በሰላማዊ መንገድ ለመፍታት ከንጉሱ የተሻለ እድል ነበረው። የችግሩ አፈታት ኤርትራን ወደ ነጻነት የሚወስዳት ቢሆንም ኢትዮጵያ የባህር በሯን አታጣም። በመቶ ሚሊዮኖች የሚቆጠር ህዝብና እጅግ ሰፊ የቆዳ ስፋት ያላት፣ ለአለም ቅኝ ተገዥዎች የነጻነት ተምሳሌት ሆና የኖረች ሃገር፣ ቅኝ ገዥዎች ሆን ብለው የባህር መውጫ እንዳይኖራት አድርገው በፈጠሯቸው ጅቡቲን፣ ሶማሌያንና ኤርትራን በመሳሰሉ ሃገሮች ባህር ለመድረስ ሃምሳ ኪሎ ሜትሮች ሲቀራት በሁሉም አቅጣጫ ተዘግታ እንድትቀር አትደረግም። (ገጽ 491)

Shut up, you [ deleted ].

He made the point that Ethiopia is the world's most-populous landlocked country - it has 125 million people - and that access to the sea was a top priority for Ethiopian emperors, notably Haile Selassie who ruled from 1930 until 1974.

Quoting a famous 19th Century general, Ras Alula, Mr Abiy said that the Red Sea was Ethiopia's natural boundary.

He reportedly told a meeting of businessmen that "we want to get a port by peaceful means. But if that fails we will use force".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67332811

"ፕሮፉርሸር" ዘሜ ዘመሰሎ ዓቢ ሰብ ወዲ ዓበይቲ፡ ጭዋ ሰው ትመስለን ነበር። የካድሬ ምን ጨዋ ኣለው እንድንል አስገደድከን እኮ! ካድሬ ደግሞ ምን ጭንቅላት ኣለው፡ የተሰጠውን ማስተጋባት እንጂ! የሰላሙ ተሸላሚ ዶ/ር ኣቢይ ኣሕመድ “የባህር ሃይል አደርጋለው፡ ናቫል ቤዝ” ያስፈልገኛል፡ ብሎ ቢል፡ እንዲያ ማለት መብቱ ነው። ናቫል ቤዝ የሚሰጠው ከረፈፍ የጎረቤት ሃገር መሪ ጋካጠመው ደግሞ እቅዱን ይተገብራል። ጨዋታው ይሄ ነው።

አንተ እንደ ኣንድ ኤርትራዊ ፕሮፉርሸር ካንተ የምንጠብቀው የኤርትራና ኢትዮጵያ ድንበር በቅጡ መሬት ላይ ምልክት እንዲደረግበት መጠየቅ ነበር። ለምን ቢባል ተራው የድንበር ላይ ህዝብ መሬቱን እንዲያውቅና በሰላምና በፍቅር መኖር እንዲጀምር። የዛሬን አያድርገውና ዋናው ወትዋች አንተ ነበርክ። አንተ "ከፒፒ ጋር ወደፊት በሉለት ይለይለት" ብለህ የቦለቲካ እስክስታህን ስታስነካው፡ እኛ ደግሞ “የጀግና ሰው ክብሩ ዳርድንበሩ” ስለሆነ ደንበር ማካለሉንም አትዘንጋ ብለንሃል። ታች ያስቀመጥነው ቋጠሯችንም ምስክር ነው። ድንበር መሬት ላይ ቢመላከት ግን የጦርነት ጥቅመኞች (ጦ.ጥ)ና ተራ ካድሬዎች ወደሎችም ጭምር ምን ስለምትጎዱ ነው? ወይም ምን ስለምትጠቀሙ ነው?

መትከል ኤርትራውያን ደያኑ ማእከልን መስመርን ግን “ከምኡ’ዩ ዘሎ እቲ ወረ!” ከምዚበሃል፡ ምክብባር ምስ ደቂ ጎረቤት፡ ምጥላብ ምሕንጻጽ ዶብ ብግብሪ ኣብ ባይታ ወዘተ ኣይተቐየረን ንምባል’ኡ፡ ብኤርትራዊ ጭዉነት ሓበንን ፍናንን።

Eritrea: Washington’s Surprising Partner in Africa’s Most Unstable Corner
https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2024/12/27/e ... le-corner/

እቲ ዘምጻእካዮ “ኡ ኡ ትራምፕ” ዚብል ጽሑፍ ናይ ዳንኤል ድማ ነቢብናዮ ኢና። ንሕና ንብል ድማ “ፊዚካል ዲማርኬሽን ይተግበር" ኢዩ። ንኤርትራውያን ኣየናይ ዛዕባ የገድሶም ፕሮፉርሸር ዘሜ ዘመሰሎ፧ ‘ዓቢ’ ሰብ ወዲ ዓበይቲ!

Not a naval base though, you child molestor!

Go s@ck a Yankee c0ck, like ur princess Abyi.

“እኛ ስንስማማ ኣሰብ እንጋራለን ማለት ምን ማለት ነበር?” አንት ወደል ካድሬ! የጀሮህ ትቦው ተዝግቶ ነበር እንዴ ብለን ኣናስቅብህም! ለማንኛውም በወቅቱ የቋጠርነውን ታሪካዊ ግጥም እታች ጀባ ብለንሃል በኤርትራዊ ጭዋነት ኩራትና ትህትና ጭምር፡ እኛ ኤርትራዉያን የመሃልና የመስመር ዳኞች።

Stop lying, you piece of sh!t!

When the death of his party was near by the attacks of the weyane, he wasn't saying that. After Pretoria and prostration to the Americans, he changed his tune.

Anyway, his days are numbered.

ጉሌድ - ኣብዪ - ‘ጉዳይ ባሕርያ ኢትዮጵያ’
Post by Meleket » 09 Apr 2019, 03:11

ነድሕቦ ጦቢያዉያን ሃሊኑ ኪጠውያ፣
እንተኣምበሓቖ ኪጅምር ባሕርያ፣
“ገማግም ኤርትራስ ኣይትርከብን’ያ፣
ባሕሪ ኤርትራናስ ኣይትትንከፍን’ያ፣
ፈለማ ተግብራ ብቃልካ ዝበልካያ፣
ንዉንዙፍ ብይን ሄግ ኣርእይ ተግቢርካያ!”፣
ቢሉ መሊሱሉ ሕዝቢ ኤረትረያ!!!

ጉሌድ ናይ ጅቡቲ ኣብ ቅርዓት ወጺኡ፣
እንተንጀባረረ ዘረባ ጊድኡ፣
ጅግና ወዲ ኤረ ወትሩ ኣብ ተዳሎ፣
ሰማዩ ምድሩ ባሕሩ ጓና ከይዓስሎ፣
ሰለም ከየበለ እናተኸላኸሎ፣
ኣብ’ታ ዝገደፍኩሞ ኣብመትከል ኢዩ ዘሎ።

ጉሌድ ጅቡቲ ከምዚ’ባበለ፣ ዓብዪ ኣሕመድ ከምዚ ሓሰበ፣ ኪበሃል ምስ ሰማዕና ድልዉነት ኤርትራዊያን ንምግላጽ ዝመላሕናዮ ኤርትራዊ ሴፍ ኢዩ! መስመስ ኪብል’ዶ ረኣኩ’ሞ ሴፍ ሓቂ!

[Zmeselo]

Dear all: the first two videos show #ChalaAlemo claiming as a student of Harvard. The first video shows him asking a question to the former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon at Harvard Kennedy school while the second videos shows him giving an interview. The third video is a crucial piece of evidence in which he he explicitly calls for the ethnic cleansing of the Amhara people. Please report him at

oge@harvard.edu

Here is a sample letter I sent:

To whom it may concern:

Re: Chala Alemo a Harvard student calling for ethnic violence in Ethiopia

Chala Alemo, a former/current Harvard student, has been calling for ethnic cleansing against the Amhara people in Ethiopia. He is seen in the below
link speaking in his native language Oromigna with English subtitle.

https://x.com/amharafirst88//Amharafirs ... 1883199719

Here is another video showing Mr. Alemo who appeared to be asking a question to Ban Kin-Moom, former Secretary-General of the UN, at the Harvard Kennedy School.

https://youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=bw0KtVHyDd4

This is extremely alarming as the Amhara region is currently a centre of large-scale conflict between the Amhara people and the central government of Ethiopia. Mr. Alemo is applauding the central government of Ethiopia and calling the rest of the public to target the Amhara people.

Sincerely
Your name

[Meleket]

ኣዬ ‘የካድሬ’ ቦተሊካ! ምነው የኤርትራ ህዝብን በቀጥታ የሚመለከተው የፊዚካል ዲማርኬሽን ትግባሬ ጉዳይ ሆኖ ሳለ፡ በጎረቤት ሃገር የውስጥ ጉዳይ ይህን ያህል መጋጋጥ ምን ይባላል? ጫላና ጫኔ እንደሆኑ 120 ሚልየን ገላጋይ ወንድሞችና እህቶች ኣሏቸዉ እኮ! የዘሜ መጋጋጥ ኣስፈላጊነቱ ኣይታየንም ለማለት ነው!

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=308857

Dear all: the first two videos show #ChalaAlemo claiming as a student of Harvard. The first video shows him asking a question to the former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon at Harvard Kennedy school while the second videos shows him giving an interview. The third video is a crucial piece of evidence in which he he explicitly calls for the ethnic cleansing of the Amhara people. Please report him at

oge@harvard.edu

Here is a sample letter I sent:

To whom it may concern:

Re: Chala Alemo a Harvard student calling for ethnic violence in Ethiopia

Chala Alemo, a former/current Harvard student, has been calling for ethnic cleansing against the Amhara people in Ethiopia. He is seen in the below
link speaking in his native language Oromigna with English subtitle.

https://x.com/amharafirst88//Amharafirs ... 1883199719

Here is another video showing Mr. Alemo who appeared to be asking a question to Ban Kin-Moom, former Secretary-General of the UN, at the Harvard Kennedy School.

https://youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=bw0KtVHyDd4

This is extremely alarming as the Amhara region is currently a centre of large-scale conflict between the Amhara people and the central government of Ethiopia. Mr. Alemo is applauding the central government of Ethiopia and calling the rest of the public to target the Amhara people.

Sincerely
Your name

የኤርትራ እና የኢትዮጵያ 146ቱ የጋራ ፈርጦች! - የ146ቱ ካምፖች ወግ!

ጐበዝ እነዚህ 146 የጋራ ፈርጦቻችን ከነ 'ኮኦርዲኔታቸው' በማያሻማ መልኩ “ይግባኝ በማይባልበት” ፍርድ ተወስነው፡ ቁልጭ ብለው ትግባሬን እየጠበቁ የተቀመጡ ናቸው።

https://legal.un.org/riaa/cases/vol_XXVI/771-799.pdf

ታድያ ሃገራችን ኤርትራና ጐረቤቷ ኢትዮጵያ በሰላም ይኖሩ ዘንድ፡ እንዲህ ቢደረግ ምን ይመስላችኋል?

1.) በ146ቱ ነጥቦች፡ በያንዳንዷ ስፍራ የጋራ ወታደራዊ ካምፕ በመገንባት የደንበር ጸጥታ አስከባሪ ሃይል ማስፈር።

2.) በ146ቱ ካምፖች የሚኖሩት የሁለቱ ሃገራት የሰራዊት ብዛት 80 ከኢትዮጵያ (ሁሉን ኢትዮጵያዊ ብሄር ብሄረሰቦች የወከለ እንዲሆን ማለትም ኣልተወከልኩም የሚል ኢትዮጵያዊ ብሄር እንዳይኖር ማለት ነው።) ኤርትራም በበኩሏ ከ80 ያልበለጡ የሰራዊቷ ኣባሎችን በነፍስወከፍ 146ቱ ካምፖች ውስጥ እንድታስቀምጥ ማድረግ።

3.) ይህም ማለት 146*80 = እያንዳንዷ ሃገር ቢያንስ ቢያንስ 11,680 በወታደራዊ ዲሲፕሊን የተመሰከረላቸውን የሰራዊት አባሎቿን ለድንበር ጥበቃ እንድታሰማራ ማድረግ። ይህ የሁለቱ ሃገራት መንግስታት የሰራዊት ክፍል፡ ፈጣን በሆነ ዘመናዊ የመገናኛ መሳርያዎች የታጠቀ ማድረግ። [ስለ ወጪው አትጨነቁ፡ የሁለቱ ሃገራት ህዝብ ሊሸፍነው ይችላል፤ የሁለቱ ሃገራት ህዝብ በረባ ባልረባው ከመናቆር፡ ገንዘብ አዋጥቶ ሰላሙን ማስጠበቅ ይቀለዋል!]

4.) የሁለቱም ሃገሮች የአየር ሃይል፡ ሃገሮቹ ዬተስማሙባቸውን ያህል የአሰሳና ዳሰሳ ሂሊኮፕተሮችና ድሮኖች ለዚሁ ድንበር ጸጥታ መመደብ። [በሂሊኮፕተርና በድሮን ከመጨፋጨፍ ይሄ ሳይሻል ኣይቀርም ትላላችሁን?]

5.) በዚህ መሰረት፡ በድንበር አካባቢ ምናልባት ሊፈጥር የሚችልን ግጭት በግዜ ማጤንና ፈጣን ፈውስ በመሻት እልባት ላይ ማድረስ።

በዚህ መልኩ “ፊዚካል ዲማርኬሽኑን” ብንጀምረው የሁለቱ አጎራባች ሃገሮች ህዝቦች ዘለቄታዊ ሰላምና እፎይታን ለማግኘትና ለማጣጣም አይችሉም ትላላችሁን? እስከ መቼ ድረስ እርስ በእርስ ማናቆር ጐበዝ!

ለዛሬ 146 የጋራ ፈርጦቻችንን እዚህ ተመልከቷቸው!ከገጽ 786-794 ወይም ከ ገጽ 17-25 ቁልጭ ብለው አሉላችሁ።



ጐበዝ "ፊዚካል ዲማርኼሽኑ" በዚህ ሃሳብ አኳያ ቢተገበር ምን ይመስላችኋል? እስቲ የሚጐድለውን አጉድላችሁ፡ የሚጨመረውን ጨምራችሁ ሃሳባችሁን አክሉበትና ወደ ትግባሬ እናምራ። የየሃገሮቻችን ቦተሊከኞቻችንን እንዲህ አድርገን 'ጭራውን መያዝ' የፈሩትን ነገር በማደፋፈር እናግዛቸው እንጂ ጐበዝ! አይመስላችሁም። "ፊዚካል ዲማርኼሽን ይቻላል!"

ተጻፈ፡ በኤርትራውያን የመሃልና የመስመር ዳኞች፡ በኤርትራዊ ጭዋነት ኩራትና ትህትና ጭምር።

[Somaliman]

In a speech PM Abiy Ahmed made to parliament on March 20, 2025, he stated that Ethiopia has no interest in acquiring a seaport from Eritrea by force.

Yet he deploys troops towards the border!

He floats bullsh'it to test the waters and then backs off when he realises that he has hit the wall.

[Fiyameta]

Abiy is gambling with Ethiopia's existence big time. A little nudge is enough to send the country tumbling down the cliff.

PM Abiy Ahmed's Statements on Gaining Sea Access by Force

BinTake @bintekbin

March 20, 2025

This report presents evidence that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has made multiple statements suggesting or insinuating that Ethiopia might use force to gain sea access from Eritrea, if peaceful means fail. The evidence spans from July 2023 to March 2025 and includes statements reported by international media outlets, as well as content from Amharic-language sources. The most direct evidence comes from reported statements to businessmen and investors, where PM Abiy explicitly mentioned using force if peaceful means fail to secure port access.

In a speech PM Abiy Ahmed made to parliament on March 20, 2025, he stated that Ethiopia has no interest in acquiring a seaport from Eritrea by force. However, in recent months, Ethiopian government media airwaves have been dominated by propaganda directed against Eritrea, emphasizing that Ethiopia must secure ownership of Assab, whether through peaceful negotiations or by force. This rhetoric has not been limited to members of the Prosperity Party (PP) elites but has extended to individuals at the ministerial level, high-ranking military officers, and a former Ethiopian president, all of whom have leveled unfounded accusations against Eritrea. Furthermore, the PP has mobilized its social media networks, deploying an army of trolls to spread anti-Eritrea propaganda, with a primary focus on justifying the acquisition of Assab by force. Despite his latest denial, PM Abiy has repeatedly suggested and insinuated in the past that the use of force remains a potential option.

Background Context

Ethiopia became landlocked in 1993 when Eritrea gained independence, losing its direct access to the Red Sea. Since then, Ethiopia has primarily relied on Djibouti for port access, which PM Abiy has described as costly and unsustainable for Ethiopia's growing population and economy. In recent years, PM Abiy has increasingly framed sea access as an "existential issue" for Ethiopia, making it a central focus of his foreign policy rhetoric.

Key Evidence

1. July 2023: Meeting with Investors

As reported by Al Jazeera (November 14, 2023), during a meeting with investors in July 2023, PM Abiy Ahmed

openly and unambiguously said that while Ethiopia wants to 'get a port through peaceful means', if that plan fails, it would not hesitate to 'use force'.

This appears to be the earliest documented instance, where PM Abiy explicitly mentioned using force to gain sea access.

2. October 13, 2023: Parliamentary Speech

PM Abiy delivered a significant speech to the Ethiopian parliament that was televised and widely reported:

• According to Al Jazeera, Abiy said Ethiopia has "natural rights" to directly access the Red Sea, and if denied these rights,

there will be no fairness and justice and if there is no fairness and justice, it's a matter of time, we will fight.

• Ethiopia Observer reported him saying:

If we don't find an alternative through dialogue, discussion today... It could be dangerous,

regarding Ethiopia's pursuit of sea access.

• He also stated:

The Red Sea and the Nile are intimately linked to Ethiopia, serving as the pillars that could either propel the country's progress or lead to its demise.

3. October-November 2023: Amharic Media Coverage

Following PM Abiy's parliamentary speech, several Amharic-language videos appeared discussing his statements:

• A YouTube video titled "

ቀይ ባህር እንወስዳለን በጉልበት ወይም በስምምነት

(Translation: "We will take the Red Sea by force or by agreement") directly references gaining access

by force or by agreement

in its title.

• Another YouTube video titled

ቀይ ባህር ቀጣዩ የኢትዮጵያ እና ኤርትራ ጦርነት መነሻ ይሆን? የጠ/ርአብይ ንግግር ስለ ወደብ

(Translation: "Will the Red Sea be the next cause of war between Ethiopia and Eritrea? PM Abiy's speech about the port") analyzes whether Abiy's statements could potentially lead to conflict.

4. November 7, 2023: BBC Reporting

BBC News published an article titled

Ethiopia PM Abiy Ahmed eyes Red Sea port, inflaming tensions

which reported that PM Abiy Ahmed told a meeting of businessmen that

we want to get a port by peaceful means. But if that fails we will use force.

5. March 14, 2025: Reuters Reporting

A Reuters article titled

Why are Ethiopia and Eritrea on the brink of a possible war?

mentioned that

Eritrean officials have bristled at repeated public declarations by Abiy since 2023 that landlocked Ethiopia has a right to sea access,

indicating that Abiy has continued to make such declarations over a period of more than a year.

Analysis of Rhetoric Patterns

The evidence reveals, several consistent patterns in PM Abiy Ahmed's rhetoric regarding Ethiopia's access to the Red Sea:

1. Dual Approach: Throughout his statements, Abiy consistently presents a dual approach - expressing preference for peaceful negotiations while simultaneously suggesting willingness to use force if necessary.

2. Escalation of Language: Starting with the July 2023 meeting with investors, Abiy has framed sea access as an existential issue for Ethiopia, with statements becoming increasingly assertive over time.

3. Sustained Campaign: The evidence spans from July 2023 to March 2025, indicating this is not an isolated statement but rather a sustained position over nearly two years.

4. Existential Framing: Abiy consistently frames sea access as vital for Ethiopia's survival and future development, particularly in light of its growing population.

International Reactions

Neighboring countries have expressed concern about PM Abiy's statements:

1. Eritrea: The Eritrean ambassador to Japan, Estifanos Afeworki, wrote on Twitter saying that

There is no if and but about Eritrea's sovereignty and territorial integrity. No amount of illegitimate instigation, propaganda, conspiracy, and defamation can change this truth.

2. According to Al Jazeera, Djibouti, Somalia, and other regional countries have also expressed concern about Ethiopia's rhetoric regarding sea access.

Conclusion

Based on the evidence collected from multiple sources, including international media reports and Amharic-language content, there is substantial documentation that PM Abiy Ahmed has suggested or insinuated about getting sea access by force if necessary from Eritrea. The most direct evidence comes from his reported statements to businessmen and investors in July 2023, where he explicitly mentioned using force if peaceful means fail.

His parliamentary speech in October 2023, while using more diplomatic language in some reports, still contained references to "fighting" if Ethiopia's "natural rights" to sea access are denied. The titles of Amharic videos discussing the topic directly reference gaining access

by force or by agreement,

suggesting this was a known position of the Prime Minister in Amharic-language discourse.

This pattern of statements over nearly two years indicates a consistent position rather than isolated or out-of-context remarks, providing strong evidence that PM Abiy Ahmed has indeed suggested using force to gain sea access if peaceful means fail.


References


BBC News. (November 7, 2023). Ethiopia PM Abiy Ahmed eyes Red Sea port, inflaming tensions. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67332811

Al Jazeera. (November 14, 2023) . Abiy Ahmed's imperial ambitions are bad news for Africa, and the world. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023 ... -the-world

Ethiopia Observer. (October 15, 2023) . "Securing Red Sea access vital for Ethiopia's survival," Abiy Ahmed. https://www.ethiopiaobserver.com/2023/1 ... biy-ahmed/

Reuters. (March 14, 2025) . Why are Ethiopia and Eritrea on the brink of a possible war? https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/wh ... 025-03-14/

YouTube Video: "ቀይ ባህር እንወስዳለን በጉልበት ወይም በስምምነት" (We will take the Red Sea by force or by agreement) .

YouTube Video: "ቀይ ባህር ቀጣዩ የኢትዮጵያ እና ኤርትራ ጦርነት መነሻ ይሆን? የጠ/ር አብይ ንግግር ስለወደብ" (Will the Red Sea be the next cause of war between Ethiopia and Eritrea? PM Abiy's speech about the port) .

________________







Like they're cloned:

[Meleket]

ጉልቻ ቢቀያየር ወጥ ኣያጣፍጥም!

Abiy is gambling with Ethiopia's existence big time. A little nudge is enough to send the country tumbling down the cliff.

PM Abiy Ahmed's Statements on Gaining Sea Access by Force

BinTake @bintekbin

March 20, 2025

...

ድርብ ዕያር!

PM Abiy Ahmed's Statements on Gaining Sea Access by Force

BinTake @bintekbin

March 20, 2025
....

ፕሮፉርሸር ዘሜ ዘመሰሎ ዓቢ ሰብ ወዲ ዓበይቲ፡ ኣብ ሞንጎ አተሓሳስባ ፒፒን አርበኞችን ብዛዕባ አፍደገ ባሕሪ ዘሎ ፍልልይ ክተብርሃልና ትኽእል’ዶ? እቲ ኣብ ሕቁፊ ሕዝቢ ኤርትራ ሟሙቑ ዚነብር ዝነበረ ዓርኽኻ “ሓርበኛ ኣንዳርጋቸው ፅገ” እንታይ ኢዩ ዚብል ዛሎ፡ ኣይሰምዕኹን ከይትብል ድማ ካብ ብሕጂ ንዓኻን ንመሰልትኻን ተራን ወደላትን ካድራት ንሕና ኤርትራዉያን ደያኑ ማእከልን መስመርን እዙይ ነመልክተልኩም ኣሎና፡ ብኤርትራዊ ጭዉነትን ሓበንን ፍናንን!

ክትስኡን ክትድቅሱን ጉዳይ “ትግባረ ፊዚካል ዲማርኼሽን ኣይትረስዑ” ቢልና ብስም ጀጋኑ ስዉኣት ደቂ ኤርትራን ህዝቢ ኤርትራን ብሓፈሻ ንምዕደኩም ኣሎና! https://mereja.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=308857&

ትውልድ አይደናገር እኛም እንናገር [አርበኛ አንዳርጋቸው ፅጌ] (ገጽ489)

የባህር በር ጉዳይ አንድ ኣልባት ካላገኘ የጊዜ ጉዳይ ብቻ እንጂ አካባቢውን ለሌላ ቀውስ እንደሚዳርገው ከመቶ ፐርሰንት በላይ እርግጠኛ ሆኖ መናገር ይቻላል። ኢትዮጵያን የሚያህል ታሪካዊ ሃገር ማንም ቅኝ ገዥ ጠፍጥፎ በሰራቸው ሃገሮች ከባህር በቅርብ ርቀት እንዳትደርስ ተደርጋ የታሰረችበትን ገመድ ለመበጠስ የተለያዩ እርምጃዎች የሚወስድ ትውልድ መምጣቱ አይቀርም። ተስፋችን እነዚህ እርምጃዎች የሁለቱን ሃገር ደሃ ህዝቦች ለሌላ ዙር እልቂት የማይዳርጉ ይሆናሉ የሚል ነው።



ቀደም ብዬ እንደጠቀስኩት ደርግ ስልጣን ላይ ሲወጣ በአዲስ መንግስትነቱ የኤርትራን ጉዳይ በሰላማዊ መንገድ ለመፍታት ከንጉሱ የተሻለ እድል ነበረው። የችግሩ አፈታት ኤርትራን ወደ ነጻነት የሚወስዳት ቢሆንም ኢትዮጵያ የባህር በሯን አታጣም። በመቶ ሚሊዮኖች የሚቆጠር ህዝብና እጅግ ሰፊ የቆዳ ስፋት ያላት፣ ለአለም ቅኝ ተገዥዎች የነጻነት ተምሳሌት ሆና የኖረች ሃገር፣ ቅኝ ገዥዎች ሆን ብለው የባህር መውጫ እንዳይኖራት አድርገው በፈጠሯቸው ጅቡቲን፣ ሶማሌያንና ኤርትራን በመሳሰሉ ሃገሮች ባህር ለመድረስ ሃምሳ ኪሎ ሜትሮች ሲቀራት በሁሉም አቅጣጫ ተዘግታ እንድትቀር አትደረግም። (ገጽ 491)

Shut up, you [ deleted ].

He made the point that Ethiopia is the world's most-populous landlocked country - it has 125 million people - and that access to the sea was a top priority for Ethiopian emperors, notably Haile Selassie who ruled from 1930 until 1974.

Quoting a famous 19th Century general, Ras Alula, Mr Abiy said that the Red Sea was Ethiopia's natural boundary.

He reportedly told a meeting of businessmen that "we want to get a port by peaceful means. But if that fails we will use force".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67332811

"ፕሮፉርሸር" ዘሜ ዘመሰሎ ዓቢ ሰብ ወዲ ዓበይቲ፡ ጭዋ ሰው ትመስለን ነበር። የካድሬ ምን ጨዋ ኣለው እንድንል አስገደድከን እኮ! ካድሬ ደግሞ ምን ጭንቅላት ኣለው፡ የተሰጠውን ማስተጋባት እንጂ! የሰላሙ ተሸላሚ ዶ/ር ኣቢይ ኣሕመድ “የባህር ሃይል አደርጋለው፡ ናቫል ቤዝ” ያስፈልገኛል፡ ብሎ ቢል፡ እንዲያ ማለት መብቱ ነው። ናቫል ቤዝ የሚሰጠው ከረፈፍ የጎረቤት ሃገር መሪ ጋካጠመው ደግሞ እቅዱን ይተገብራል። ጨዋታው ይሄ ነው።

አንተ እንደ ኣንድ ኤርትራዊ ፕሮፉርሸር ካንተ የምንጠብቀው የኤርትራና ኢትዮጵያ ድንበር በቅጡ መሬት ላይ ምልክት እንዲደረግበት መጠየቅ ነበር። ለምን ቢባል ተራው የድንበር ላይ ህዝብ መሬቱን እንዲያውቅና በሰላምና በፍቅር መኖር እንዲጀምር። የዛሬን አያድርገውና ዋናው ወትዋች አንተ ነበርክ። አንተ "ከፒፒ ጋር ወደፊት በሉለት ይለይለት" ብለህ የቦለቲካ እስክስታህን ስታስነካው፡ እኛ ደግሞ “የጀግና ሰው ክብሩ ዳርድንበሩ” ስለሆነ ደንበር ማካለሉንም አትዘንጋ ብለንሃል። ታች ያስቀመጥነው ቋጠሯችንም ምስክር ነው። ድንበር መሬት ላይ ቢመላከት ግን የጦርነት ጥቅመኞች (ጦ.ጥ)ና ተራ ካድሬዎች ወደሎችም ጭምር ምን ስለምትጎዱ ነው? ወይም ምን ስለምትጠቀሙ ነው?

መትከል ኤርትራውያን ደያኑ ማእከልን መስመርን ግን “ከምኡ’ዩ ዘሎ እቲ ወረ!” ከምዚበሃል፡ ምክብባር ምስ ደቂ ጎረቤት፡ ምጥላብ ምሕንጻጽ ዶብ ብግብሪ ኣብ ባይታ ወዘተ ኣይተቐየረን ንምባል’ኡ፡ ብኤርትራዊ ጭዉነት ሓበንን ፍናንን።

Eritrea: Washington’s Surprising Partner in Africa’s Most Unstable Corner
https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2024/12/27/e ... le-corner/

እቲ ዘምጻእካዮ “ኡ ኡ ትራምፕ” ዚብል ጽሑፍ ናይ ዳንኤል ድማ ነቢብናዮ ኢና። ንሕና ንብል ድማ “ፊዚካል ዲማርኬሽን ይተግበር" ኢዩ። ንኤርትራውያን ኣየናይ ዛዕባ የገድሶም ፕሮፉርሸር ዘሜ ዘመሰሎ፧ ‘ዓቢ’ ሰብ ወዲ ዓበይቲ!

Not a naval base though, you child molestor!

Go s@ck a Yankee c0ck, like ur princess Abyi.

“እኛ ስንስማማ ኣሰብ እንጋራለን ማለት ምን ማለት ነበር?” አንት ወደል ካድሬ! የጀሮህ ትቦው ተዝግቶ ነበር እንዴ ብለን ኣናስቅብህም! ለማንኛውም በወቅቱ የቋጠርነውን ታሪካዊ ግጥም እታች ጀባ ብለንሃል በኤርትራዊ ጭዋነት ኩራትና ትህትና ጭምር፡ እኛ ኤርትራዉያን የመሃልና የመስመር ዳኞች።

[Fiyameta]

The agame Meleket has lost his agame mind.

[Somaliman]

What this semi-illiterate clown with fake degrees doesn't understand is that Mars is no man's land, while the Red Sea is on the coastal land of someone, which requires access permission.

[Fiyameta]

We will keep all these records as evidence to the sheer ignorance that has led to the dissolution of the country Tamirat Negera succinctly described as.. "Africa's Yugoslavia"

[Zmeselo]

What this semi-illiterate clown with fake degrees doesn't understand is that Mars is no man's land, while the Red Sea is on the coastal land of someone, which requires access permission.

Yap!

Exploration and invasion are not the same terms, either. Ethiopian leaders, historically, have all been massive psychos.

[Temt]

What this semi-illiterate clown with fake degrees doesn't understand is that Mars is no man's land, while the Red Sea is on the coastal land of someone, which requires access permission.

Yap!

Exploration and invasion are not the same terms, either. Ethiopian leaders, historically, have all been massive psychos.

As

What this semi-illiterate clown with fake degrees doesn't understand is that Mars is no man's land, while the Red Sea is on the coastal land of someone, which requires access permission.

Yap!

Exploration and invasion are not the same terms, either. Ethiopian leaders, historically, have all been massive psychos.

As are the phrases of "access to port" versus "owning a port"! It surprises me how many ignorant reporters are out there whose low IQs are as terrible as that SOB Prime Mister of Ethiopia! Do these people understand that they turnedd down the grecious offer of the Government of Eritrea for the disgraceful Ethiopian government to have it turned down "to hurt Eritrea"? Sometimes I wonder what kind of neighbors we live with? BTW, thanks, bro, Zmeselo, for posting the content on Twitter(X) or Facebook. I found that easier for me to read. Because I am lazy. LOL!

[Meleket]

ጉልቻ ቢቀያየር ወጥ ኣያጣፍጥም። ኮሎኔል ታሪኩ ሆኑ ኮሎኔል መንግስቱ እንዲሁም ኮሎኔል ኣብይ ሆኑ ‘አርበኛ’ አንዳርጋቸው ጽጌ እንዲሁም ኣንዳንድ የኢትዮጵያ ‘ልሂቃን’፡ ከቀይባሕር ኣኳያ ያላቸው ኣመለካከት ብዙም ኣይለያይም። ይለያያል ብሎ የሚያስብ ኤርትራዊ ካለ ግን፡ “ፊዚካል ዲማርኬሽን ኣያስፈልግም” የሚል የጦርነት ጥቅመኛና በየበላበት የሚያናፋ ተራ ወደል ካድሬ ብቻ ነው፡ ቢለናል እኛ ኤርትራዉያን መሃልና የመስመር ዳኞች፡ በተለመደው ኤርትራዊ ጭዋነት ኩራትና ትህትና እንዲሁም ልበሙሉነት ጭምር!

The agame Meleket has lost his agame mind.

“ንገሌና ብቕድሜና ንገሊኦም ብድሕሬኦም ከምኡ ከምትብሉ ኒፈልጥ ኢና፤ እኒ ወዲ ኣይተ ወልደማርያም እቲ ወዲ ኣይተ ኣፎርቂ ካምዚ ዓሌታዊ ዛራባ ኪቲዛራቢ ከይሰምምዑኪ እምበይ” ሕዪ ብሓባር ንስሓቕ!

The agame Meleket lost his agame mind.

We, the people of Eritrea, would like to extend our congratulations to Excellency Dr. Abby Ahmed, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia and of course to the people of Ethiopia! When a beloved son and brother of Eritrea wins, Eritrea also wins!

Congratulations!! Congratulations!! Congratulations!!







Dedebit is always dedeb
R.I.P Abay Tigray and TPLF

ቁምነገሩ ወዲህ ነው ብለናል እኛ ኤርትራዉያን የመሃልና የመስመር ዳኞች በኤርትራዊ ጭዋነት ኩራትና ትህትና ጭምር።
ናበይ ህድማ ንቕድሚት ኢዩ? ክሳድ ሓዝ ማለት ከምዡይ ኢዩ! ክልተሳዕ’ለ ኣይንዛረብይ!

https://mereja.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=308857