Ethiopian carrier halts Eritrea flights amid strained ties

Ethiopia’s state-owned airline suspended flights to Eritrea, the latest sign of a deterioration in relations between the two neighboring countries. The move by the Ethiopian Airlines Group, which came into effect on Tuesday, is the result of “very difficult operating conditions it has encountered in Eritrea that are beyond its control,” the carrier said in a statement posted on social media platform X. It didn’t elaborate. Ethiopia and Eritrea have a long history of adversary. They fought a three-decade war that resulted in Eritrea gaining independence in 1991, depriving Ethiopia of direct access to the sea. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed a peace deal with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki in 2018, but ties have since been strained by Eritrea’s backing of an anti-government militia in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa’s quest to secure a port in the Gulf of Aden has also heightened regional tensions. In January, Abiy unveiled a proposal to secure access to a harbor in Somaliland — a semi-autonomous region of Somalia — in return for a stake in Ethiopian Airlines. Ethiopia also said it will consider recognizing Somaliland as an independent nation, triggering a war of words with Somalia. Ethiopia and Eritrea joined forces in a two-year war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which controlled Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region and was one of Isaias’ oldest foes. That conflict ended in 2022. “This matter annoyed Isaias a lot, because he did not want to stop the war except by completely eliminating the TPLF and its army,” said Negash Osman, chairman of the Eritrean National Council for Democratic Change, a coalition of political parties and civil rights groups. He warned that gains made since the conclusion of the 2018 peace deal had been erased and there was a risk of renewed fighting. <br/>