Äthiopien-Eritrea: Eskalierender Wortgefecht schürt Konfliktängste

Ethiopia seems to have ramped up the rhetoric about its maritime aspirations, with PM Abiy Ahmed and an assortment of senior military officials declaring that the Eritrean port of Assab (which was lost when Eritrea became de jure independent in 1993, landlocking Ethiopia in the process) is „rightfully Ethiopian“ and will be returned by force. The Eritrean government in response has gone into defensive mode, dismissing the rhetoric as baseless and an affront to Eritrean sovereignty. Will be interesting to see how this plays out, especially as Gulf nations become increasingly involved in the Horn of Africa region.