Ethiopia has no intention of invading another country and "will never assert its interests through war", assured its Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday, a few days after a speech that raised concerns about Addis Ababa's possible claims to the Red Sea. The second most populous country in Africa, with around 120 million inhabitants, Ethiopia has no direct access to the Red Sea, one of the world's major trade crossroads, unlike its neighbors Eritrea and Djibouti. "Our recent request for access to the sea has raised fears that Ethiopia is leading an invasion. I want to assure you that Ethiopia will not assert its interests through war", continued the Ethiopian Prime Minister. Modern Ethiopia briefly had access to the Red Sea when it gradually annexed Eritrea, a former Italian colony, in the 1950s.
