Speaking at a virtual news conference on Zoom, On Monday March 24,2025; Eritrean scholars dismissed with vigor Ethiopia’s claims that its landlocked status is an obstacle to development and that the Afar people live along the Red Sea coastline, which makes Ethiopian access justifiable. The roundtable, hosted by the Red Sea Task Force, provided a platform to present an executive summary in English, Tigrigna (the language of Eritrea), Amharic, and Arabic, documenting the deficiencies in Ethiopia’s assertions from historical, legal, and economic perspectives.
The scholars argued that Ethiopia’s economic problems arise from internal governance failings, not from its lack of a coastline. Even though Ethiopia has been landlocked since Eritrea broke away in 1993, it enjoyed two decades of development, relying on ports in Djibouti, Somalia, and Sudan. The argument that access to the sea is paramount for economic prosperity overlooks Ethiopia’s mistakes, internal strife, and volatile politics as the real hindrance to sustainable development.
Also, the scholars rejected the ethnic argument that the Afar people, who live in both Eritrea and Ethiopia, provide Ethiopia with a legitimate right to claim Eritrean land. They stressed that ethnic groups across Africa span borders, but that does not warrant territorial claims. From the UN-backed borders and the referendum that established Eritrea’s sovereignty, Eritrea remains inviolable.
The event drew many Eritrean and non-Eritrean vloggers and media outlets who asked questions after the presentation. In a direct challenge to the panel, a Setit Media representative asked:
“What policies should Eritrea adopt to protect its national security and sovereignty while pursuing diplomatic negotiations with Ethiopia regarding access to the Red Sea to promote regional stability?”
The question highlights increasing anxiety over Ethiopia’s rhetoric and the need for Eritrea to walk a fine line between diplomacy and national security. Scholars reiterated Eritrea’s openness to peaceful and legal discussions for economic cooperation but emphasized that it would not tolerate territorial claims or coercion.
Indeed, while Ethiopia continues to push its agenda, Eritrea stands firm in defending its sovereignty, urging regional diplomacy based on international law rather than historical revisionism or ethnic politics.
