Regional dispute threatens a global chokepoint

Friday, December 05, 2025 | 40 Views |

While Egypt is not a direct party to the dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea over the Red Sea port of Assab, the source of its strategic fears, especially of Ethiopian access to the sea and its implications for the balance of power in the region, may give Cairo an incentive to take advantage, or at least to subtly ratchet up tensions.

Ethiopia, a landlocked country since the independence of Eritrea in 1993, has always been interested in having secure access to the seas: the port of Assab was historically the key gateway to the Red Sea. Egypt’s perception of any efforts by Ethiopia to obtain a naval or commercial presence in Assab is a possible threat to Egypt’s primacy in the security of the Red Sea and the Suez Canal-related issues.

The Assab dispute

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