{
  "id": 3421625,
  "title": "Ethiopia: Ethiopia-Eritrea Tensions Over Red Sea Port Have Turned the Tigray Peace Deal Into a Political Weapon",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/ethiopia-ethiopia-eritrea-tensions-over-red-sea-port-have-turned-the",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-26T04:16:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "AllAfrica",
    "slug": "allafrica",
    "url": "https://allafrica.com/stories/202608260009.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The peace agreement signed in November 2022 between the Ethiopian federal government and Tigray regional government forces aimed to end the large-scale war and address disputes over territory and political representation. However, the implementation of the Pretoria Agreement has been selective and incomplete. Disarmament has not been fully carried out, foreign and non-federal forces have not completely withdrawn from Tigray, and Western Tigray has not been returned to Tigrayan administration. The main focus of these issues is the rivalry between Ethiopia and Eritrea over access to the Red Sea. Ethiopia's landlocked status since 1993 has made Assab, a port in Eritrea's southern Red Sea region, a contentious issue. The TPLF has been blamed for Ethiopia's lack of sea access, while Eritrea views control of the coastline as part of its independence. These tensions have led to a situation where the conflict consolidation involves Ethiopia, Tigray, and Eritrea, with each party using the Pretoria Agreement to their advantage. The Ethiopian government has presented the TPLF as an Eritrean partner, which allows them to defend their failure to fully implement the agreement and rally domestic support. This has resulted in an informal tactical alignment between the TPLF and Eritrea, with each side accusing the other of foreign backing. The Ethiopian government's strategy is to portray resistance to disarmament as a foreign-backed threat, which helps them maintain control and rally support around national unity and sovereignty.",
  "summary": "[The Conversation Africa] The large-scale war between the Ethiopian federal government and Tigray regional government forces ended in November 2022 with the signing of the Pretoria Agreement. The two sides agreed that the Tigrayan forces would disarm, and that foreign forces and other troops outside the federal army would withdraw from Tigray. They also agreed to restore constitutional order in…",
  "key_points": [
    "Ethiopia-Tigray peace deal incomplete, key issues unresolved",
    "Ethiopia-Eritrea rivalry over Red Sea port of Assab central to tensions",
    "Ethiopia uses peace deal to blame TPLF, rally domestic support"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Ethiopia's and Eritrea's rivalry over Red Sea access has turned the Tigray peace deal into a political tool, allowing each side to rally support and accuse others of foreign backing.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}