๐ช๐น Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed's push for Red Sea access via Eritrea's port of Assab has alienated his neighbors, former NSC Africa director Cameron Hudson told Drop Site.
Eritrea, Ethiopia's "longtime nemesis," is likely supporting militias in Ethiopia, Hudson said. Abiy also wants "an Ethiopian navy" and to be "a Red Sea naval power," Hudson said, which Egypt sees as a threat. Cairo has "a real stake in seeing Abiy bogged down in an internal conflict," he said.
The UAE meanwhile has been "privately supporting and encouraging" Abiy's Red Sea rhetoric and push for a port, Hudson said, hoping to "piggyback" on Ethiopian access to expand its own presence.