Ethiopia’s plan to build military bases in Red Sea ignites tensions with Egypt
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NAIROBI, Kenya – The duel between Addis Ababa and Cairo seems far from over, even as the two countries fight for the construction of the Grand Renaissance dam [GERD] which Egypt wants to fill periodically contrary to Ethiopia’s plans.
And the battle may now have shifted towards control of the military in the region, with Ethiopia now considering building military bases along the Red Sea, an idea the government is vehemently opposed to. Egypt, one of Africa’s military powers, which is also kern to control the region.
Ethiopia’s foreign spokesperson Dina Mufti recently confirmed that her country is determined to build military bases along the Red Sea. Speaking at a press conference held in Addis Ababa, he added: “Various countries [which he did not name] show an interest in controlling the Red Sea region by establishing more military bases than ever before. “
Ethiopia is considering building military bases at a time when “worrying” changes are taking place in the Horn of Africa, he said. It comes amid the controversy over the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam along the Blue Nile in Ethiopia.
Although Cairo made no official comment on the mufti’s statements, the latter drew criticism in the local media.
In this vein, Major General Mohamed al-Shahawy, adviser to the Army Command and Staff College, told Al-Monitor: “Ethiopia is a landlocked country, which means that it has no direct access to the Red Sea. Repeated statements [about the Red Sea)]aim to preoccupy Ethiopian public opinion, to cover the [Ethiopian] economic crisis and distract from the Tigray War.
Ethiopia remains a landlocked nation having lost territory to Eritrea, which gained independence in 1993. In most cases, it uses the port of Djibouti for the export of goods and sometimes the port of Berbera in secessionist Somaliland.
“Discussions on establishing Ethiopian military bases in the Red Sea follow military agreements signed by Egypt with a number of countries in the Nile basin and recent joint military exercises with Sudan,” Shahawy said.
He believes that these military agreements signed by Egypt would force Ethiopia to sign a legally binding agreement on the filling and functioning of GERD.
Egypt has signed a number of military agreements with African countries, in particular those close to the Nile Basin region, and more recently a defense cooperation agreement signed on May 26 with Kenya.
In March, Egypt signed a defense agreement with Sudan; he signed a memorandum of understanding on information exchange with Uganda in April. In addition, the Egyptian and Burundian soldiers signed the same month a military cooperation agreement on joint training and exercises.
The head of the Nile Basin Studies Unit at the Al-Ahram Center for Policy and Strategic Studies, Hani Raslan, told Al-Monitor: “Ethiopian officials from time to time reiterate their intention to establish military bases (in the region) after deciding to re-establish the Ethiopian navy, which requires a seaport and a military naval base.
In June 2018, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed pledged to rebuild the country’s navy which was disbanded in 1996.
During French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Addis Ababa in March 2019, the two countries signed a defense cooperation agreement to develop the Ethiopian navy and train Ethiopian sailors in France.
Raslan believes that “an agreement with a country bordering the Red Sea, including Eritrea, is necessary so that Ethiopia can build a military base in the Red Sea.”
In December 2019, Ethiopia’s Capital magazine revealed an agreement to establish an Ethiopian naval base in Djibouti, after earlier proposals to build it in Sudan or Eritrea reportedly failed.
Mohammad Hassan, an expert on military affairs at the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor: “The timing of the Ethiopian statements on the military base has several indications. Ethiopian generals are well aware that Ethiopia is a landlocked country. He added: “Egypt has succeeded in politically encircling Ethiopia from all axes by signing security, military and economic cooperation agreements with Sudan, Djibouti, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. As a result, Addis Ababa has been isolated from its regional environment in search of a way out of this crisis. “
Shahawy said Egypt insists on its principle that the waters of the Nile are a red line and that it is a matter of life and death under any circumstances. Ethiopia has been trying to control the Horn of Africa region for decades and the installation of Abiy Ahmed as prime minister has significantly strengthened this approach.
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