Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London,March 20፡2025 (Tigray Herald)
Is looming another war accesse to the Red sea?
Prime Minister Abiy declared that Ethiopia does not intend to engage in war with Eritrea over access to the Red Sea, emphasizing to Parliament a commitment to collaborative engagement in pursuit of shared objectives.
“Our desire is an engagement,” he told MPs. “The Red Sea is an existential issue for Ethiopia.”
He received applause from MPs for his assertion that a country of over 100 million people should not be deprived access to the sea, particularly given the region’s extensive coastline.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali is providing responses to the House of People’s Representatives in session this morning.
His respinse Regarding Regarding the Pretoria Agreement
“The Pretoria Agreement has helped restore infrastructure and provide services to the people of Tigray. However, there are still issues that have not been adequately addressed, one of which is the Disengagement and Reintegration (DDR) process. This primarily affects the people of Tigray. The youth should be redirected from militarisation and engaged in development instead. Billions of dollars that should be spent on development each month are being diverted to this work.
Significant progress has been made in Raya and Tselemet in returning displaced people to their villages, but in other areas, the results have been less successful. This is largely due to the mixing of humanitarian efforts with politics. Nevertheless, the Tigray Interim Administration has done an excellent job in preventing further conflict over the past two years. As the two-year term of the interim administration has now expired, there is a need for legal reform. Once the law is amended, a review of past performance will be necessary.
Prime Minister Abiy has announced a one-year extension for the Interim Regional Administration of Tigray (TIRA), whose Pretoria Accord-based mandate concluded this week. He also indicated potential modifications to the TIRA’s composition, contingent upon forthcoming legislative amendments.
Internal disagreements persist between the TIRA administration and TPLF leadership over legitimacy. TIRA Chief, Getachew Redda, has publicly accused certain TPLF members and Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) commanders he declined to identify of attempting to forcibly replace TIRA’s leadership.
“Those who choose to wail can wail,” said Prime Minister Abiy, responding to critics of his administration, who argue that Addis Abeba residents displaced for corridor development were not sufficiently compensated for their losses.
He told MPs that over 17 billion Br was spent by the city administration on compensation.
He says Ethiopia secured a 3.5 billion dollars external debt restructuring following negotiations with international creditors, disclosed Prime Minister Abiy.
However, the Prime Minister told Parliament that debt cancellation remains his desired outcome.
The IMF has approved a 3.4 billion dollars financing arrangement to facilitate economic reforms.
Ethiopia’s debt is classified as unsustainable, characterised by liquidity and solvency stemming from low foreign exchange reserves and elevated debt service ratios. External debt remains substantial, representing 204pc of exports, with projections indicating a rise to 220pc by 2025.
The country is pursuing debt restructuring under the G20 Common Framework, with the IMF’s involvement to reduce debt indicators to sustainable levels. Nevertheless, a bondholder proposal submitted in October 2024 was unsuccessful.
