Egypt Engaged in Obstructing Ethiopia's Integrationist Role, Development

 

Addis Ababa, October 2, 2026 (ENA)—Egypt has been attempting to hinder Ethiopia's integrationist role in the region and to obstruct its development, fearing that these might pull the rug out from under its feet, Abdulshakur Abdulsamad, a Senior Researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies and Regional Integration Initiative said.

Egypt mistakenly believes that Ethiopia's continuous accelerated pace of development and growth is ominous for its growth, he added.

This fear is flawed, the senior researcher stressed. Instead "looking at the matter through the lens of integrated development, cooperation, and partnership saves a great deal of effort and time as it helps harness joint action to achieve mutual benefits and interests for all."

According to Abdulshakur, Ethiopia's lack of access to the sea has adversely affected the entire integrated system, which could have fostered and supported regional security and stability in the area.

"Before 1993, when Ethiopian naval forces were present in this region, there were no manifestations of piracy, nor was there any maritime tension. Any observer of security and military affairs recognizes the real role played by the Ethiopian Navy in maintaining security and stability in the region," he elaborated.

For the senior researcher, Ethiopia's presence at the sea serves as a safety valve and is a genuine guarantee for security and stability, in partnership with the countries of the region.

"This direction is reaffirmed by the recent UN-sponsored meeting in Nairobi, which brought together Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, and Yemen to discuss ways to develop this aspect as one of the messages promoting the path," he stated.

Abdulshakur argued that the evidence from the past three decades in the Gulf of Aden, Bab al-Mandab, and the Red Sea shows that the escalation of piracy operations did not begin until after Ethiopia became a landlocked nation.

"Today, regional and international requirements dictate that Ethiopia be a primary partner in maintaining maritime security and stability," he said.

The senior researcher further noted that for Ethiopia a sea outlet is tantamount to the lung through which it breathes.

''It is an indispensable economic, security, and developmental necessity. Added to this is the geopolitical weight represented by Ethiopia as the second most populous nation in Africa, and its economy being one of the strongest developing economies on the continent,"Abdulshakur underscored.

He concluded that Ethiopia's significant development growth achieved over the past decades, along with its regional importance and in alignment and consistent with its vision based on shared growth and regional integration with neighboring countries, warrants a sea outlet.