Ethiopia calls for shared Red Sea security — The Rio Times
In Ethiopia, National Intelligence and Security Service chief Redwan Hussein called on countries in the region to jointly ensure security in the Red Sea. At a forum in the city of Bahir Dar on October 23, he said that several coastal countries are unable to independently guarantee the security of this maritime route, The Rio Times reports.
Statement at the forum in Bahir Dar
The speech took place during the Special Envoys’ Dialogue as part of the 12th High-Level Forum on Security in Africa. The event runs from October 23 to 25 under the theme “Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation.”
Hussein said that the militarization of the region, competition among foreign states, and renewed attacks on commercial vessels near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait are putting pressure on trade routes. He called for collective action by regional countries with the support of reliable international partners.
Ethiopia is landlocked, but, according to Hussein, is fully dependent on the Red Sea for maritime trade. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is an important route for vessels traveling between Asia, the Suez Canal, and Europe.
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Participants’ positions and dispute with Eritrea
UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Guang Cong described the situation in the region as a polycrisis. According to him, the wars in Sudan, South Sudan, and Somalia, as well as threats to shipping in the Red Sea, are closely interconnected.
The envoys of Germany and France also stressed the need to strengthen multilateral cooperation and support peace initiatives led by countries in the region, as well as economic integration.
During the discussion, Ethiopian Prime Minister’s adviser for East Africa Getachew Reda said that Eritrea continues actions that fuel the crisis. Earlier, Eritrea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected Addis Ababa’s accusations that Eritrean troops had crossed into Ethiopian territory.
