Ethiopia’s former water minister Ambassador Shiferaw Jarso claimed on August 28, 2026, that Egyptian politicians historically plotted to deny Ethiopia access to the Red Sea. He urged the Ethiopian government to demand compensation for the Abay River, emphasizing that Ethiopia contributes about 86 percent of its flow.
Accusations Over Red Sea Access and Historical Separatism
Ethiopia’s role as the source of the Abay River has long fueled geopolitical friction in the Horn of Africa. Ambassador Shiferaw Jarso told the Ethiopian News Agency that Egyptian politicians and their allies actively plotted to weaken Ethiopia and cut off its access to the Red Sea. According to the former minister, these external maneuvers exploited internal divisions to undermine the country’s strategic maritime interests. He further stated that the country has been still actively seeking to undermine Ethiopia’s strategic interests in the Red Sea by exploiting internal divisions and supporting forces that weaken the country.
Many observers say one of the most consequential examples of Egypt’s divisive regional approach is its historical involvement in the Eritrean question and the broader struggle over Ethiopia’s territorial integrity. Cairo was overtly supporting separatist forces and political projects intended to weaken Ethiopia and constrain its regional influence. Ambassador Shiferaw linked Ethiopia’s current geopolitical pressures over sea access to the circumstances surrounding Eritrea’s separation from Ethiopia, arguing that both external actors and internal political forces contributed to the loss of Ethiopia’s maritime and territorial interests.
The eventual separation of Eritrea from Ethiopia remains a defining episode in the Horn of Africa’s turbulent history and a powerful reminder of how external geopolitical calculations can reshape the destiny of nations. Historical diplomacy reveals that Egyptian politician Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who served as acting Foreign Minister before becoming UN Secretary-General, played a pivotal role in advancing the Eritrean secession project to permanently weaken Ethiopia, it was learned. The loss of access to the Red Sea ports of Massawa and Assab has imposed profound economic and strategic costs on Ethiopia for nearly three decades, with Ambassador Shiferaw describing the development as a historic injustice with lasting consequences for the country.
Maritime Isolation, Sovereignty, and the GERD
Ambassador Shiferaw argued that a government without a strong popular mandate lacked the legitimacy to make decisions that would permanently reshape Ethiopia’s maritime position. According to him, efforts to constrain Ethiopia’s regional influence have persisted despite the country’s position as the source of the Nile, with maritime isolation compounding broader geopolitical and economic pressures. He described reliable sea access as an existential and generational issue for Ethiopia, saying it is fundamentally tied to national security, economic growth, sovereignty and long-term regional stability.
Ethiopia cannot remain permanently disconnected from the sea,
Ambassador Shiferaw said, pointing to the country’s population, expanding economy, and growing import-export trade. He called on the Ethiopian government to press Egypt to compensate Ethiopia for the use of Abay water resources. Ambassador Shiferaw also stressed that Ethiopia should accelerate agricultural productivity by building irrigation dams on the Abay and its other major rivers to ensure comprehensive food sovereignty.
Although Ethiopia remained unable to benefit from its natural resources for years due to a conspiracy orchestrated by Egypt, Ethiopians broke through the obstacles by constructing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Abay River, demonstrating their unity and bringing a new era of development. Today, electricity generated by the GERD is being transmitted across borders, creating regional economic benefits. The regional power interconnection created by the GERD has also become a continental economic integration initiative, openly demonstrating Ethiopia’s African vision of growing together.
Speaking to the Ethiopian News Agency, Ambassador Shiferaw noted that Egypt had promoted a hostile narrative against Ethiopia for decades, resulting in Ethiopia spending years without benefiting from developing its Abay River water resources. Driven by this determination, Ethiopians in the spirit of unity and Pan-Africanism made the massive international power generation project a reality. He further noted that the GERD is a historic generational legacy that has demonstrated Ethiopians’ capacity to deliver on the global stage, while providing significant benefits to downstream countries by helping ensure a reliable flow of water and reducing vulnerability to floods and droughts.
