Since 1991 when Eritrea gained independence from neighbouring Ethiopia, one of the world’s oldest countries and Africa’s second most populous country, has been landlocked. On November 26, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed denied reports that his government was planning to wage war to gain access to a seaport. “On certain issues that Ethiopia seeks dialogue over, it is being said that a military invasion is a possibility. Support rallies were organised in Ethiopia and abroad even as reports of war crimes by Ethiopian troops made the rounds. Addisu Lashitew, a research fellow at the Brookings Institute, says Ethiopia’s port rhetoric is little more than posturing amid rising frustration over those domestic policy failures.
