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Eritrea's Afwerki Warns Ethiopia's Abiy Over Addis Ababa's Red Sea Ambitions
Eritrea's Afwerki Warns Ethiopia's Abiy Over Addis Ababa's Red Sea Ambitions | Firstpost Africa Eritrea's Afwerki Warns Ethiopia's Abiy Over Addis Ababa's Red Sea Ambitions | Firstpost Africa | N18G Tensions are escalating between Eritrea and Ethiopia, raising fears of a renewed conflict barely seven years after a landmark peace deal. At the heart of the dispute is landlocked Ethiopia's desire for direct access to the Red Sea, particularly the port of Assab, which became part of Eritrea upon its independence in 1993. Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has vehemently warned Ethiopia against launching a new war over Red Sea access, dismissing Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's actions as a "reckless" attempt to divert attention from domestic issues. While Abiy Ahmed has publicly stated Ethiopia will seek Red Sea access peacefully through dialogue, the historical mistrust between the two nations keeps the volatile Horn of Africa on high alert. See More
Al-Ahram Weekly
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Eritrean president warns Ethiopia against waging war - Africa
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has warned neighbour Ethiopia against launching a new war between the bitter foes, with tensions high in the Horn of Africa region. Eritrea and Ethiopia have had fraught relations since the former declared independence in 1993, with tens of thousands of people killed in a war between the two from 1998 to 2000. At the heart of the current tension, according to the Eritrean government, is Ethiopia's long-held desire for a seaport, which is landlocked. Afwerki, who has ruled Eritrea with an iron fist since independence, warned Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that he would not be able to overwhelm his country by weight of numbers -- Ethiopia's population is 130 million, compared to just 3.5 million people living in Eritrea. "If he thinks he can overwhelm (Eritrean forces) with a human wave attack, he is mistaken," Afwerki told state television channel Eri-TV. "Before dragging the people of Ethiopia into unwanted wars or using them for another political agenda, the country's internal problems must first be addressed and solved," he said. He called Abiy's actions a "reckless" attempt to "divert attention" from domestic problems. Abiy signed a peace deal with Afwerki shortly after coming to power in 2018, but a violent conflict erupted in Ethiopia's Tigray province from 2020 to 2022 as Eritrea's forces backed rebels there fighting Ethiopian troops. At least 600,000 people were killed in the conflict, according to an African Union estimate. Although a peace deal ended the fighting, Eritrea has maintained a military presence in Tigray, and relations between the neighbours have deteriorated. Abiy has repeatedly said Ethiopia must have access to the sea, but by peaceful means. Last month, a report by a US monitoring group accused Eritrea of rebuilding its army and destabilising its neighbours. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Ghebremeskel criticised the report by NGO The Sentry and blamed "the new tension in the region" on Ethiopia. Eritrea had been under US arms sanctions that were lifted after the 2018 peace deal. Eritrea is a single-party state which consistently ranks among the worst in the world for rights -- in last place for press freedom, according to Reporters Without Borders, and 175th out of 183 for human development in 2022, according to the United Nations. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
AFP
18-07-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Compilation of clips shows dams in South Africa and Brazil, not Ethiopia's new Nile River project
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced in July 2025 that the multi-billion-dollar Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project would be inaugurated in September 2025. Following this announcement, a post published on Facebook claims to show footage of the dam in operation ahead of its inauguration. However, this is misleading; the video shows dams in South Africa and Brazil. The post contains a text overlay in Amharic, which translates to: 'This is happening in Meskrem 2018 E.C: the inauguration of the GERD dam and the start of oil production will take place together.' Meskerem 2018 in the Ethiopian calendar is equivalent to September 2025. Image Screenshot of the misleading post, taken on July 15, 2025 The post was originally published on TikTok and has been shared more than 110 times since it was reposted to Facebook on July 4, 2025. The 53-second video features a male news presenter reporting on an announcement made by Abiy in early July. Footage of various dam facilities display on the screen over the audio. 'Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told members of parliament during the 42nd ordinary session that Ethiopia will begin marketing oil starting next September,' the presenter says. 'In addition, he confirmed that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will be inaugurated this coming September.' The GERD On July 3, 2025, Abiy announced the completion of the multi-billion-dollar mega-dam on the Blue Nile and said it would be officially inaugurated in September 2025 (archived here). Launched in 2011 with a $4 billion budget, the GERD is considered Africa's largest hydroelectric project. The dam wall spans 1.8 kilometres (1.1 miles) and is 145 metres (475 feet) high. While Addis Ababa views the dam as essential to its national electrification program, it has been a source of tension with downstream countries Egypt and Sudan, who fear it could threaten their water supply from the Nile (archived here). However, the video does not show Ethiopia's new dam, set for inauguration in September. Gariep Dam AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video and established that none of the clips featured show the GERD. Search results indicate that the first 12 seconds of the video show the Gariep Dam, located between the Free State and Eastern Cape provinces in South Africa. The footage was published on TikTok on January 30, 2021, with the English caption: 'Gariep Dam 30/01/2021, 114% Full.' The length of the video also exactly matches the footage in the misleading clip. Search results also led to similar videos here and here showing the Gariep Dam overflowing (archived here and here). AFP Fact Check further verified the dam's location by comparing features visible in the video with satellite imagery on Google Maps (archived here). The spillway, crest and surrounding greenery all align with features visible in the video. Image Screenshots of the misleading clip (top) and Google Maps showing Gariep Dam, taken on July 15, 2025 Pictures of the Gariep Dam wall on stock photo site Shutterstock also match the structure in the clip (archived here). Funil hydro plant Search results confirmed that the portion of the clip from 13 to 40 seconds features the Funil Hydroelectric Power Plant — a Brazilian dam located on the Paraíba do Sul River in Resende, Rio de Janeiro. The segment was uploaded to YouTube on October 6, 2023, with the title, 'Opening of the spillway gate at the Funil hydroelectric plant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil' (archived here). It was also published on X on November 3, 2023, with the caption: 'Spillway gates at the Funil Hydroelectric Power Plant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, serve the crucial function of releasing surplus water from the reservoir (archived here).' Spillway gates at the Funil Hydroelectric Power Plant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, serve the crucial function of releasing surplus water from the reservoir — Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) November 3, 2023 AFP Fact Check again corroborated these findings by comparing features visible in the video with satellite imagery on Google Maps. The dam's distinctive circular spillway gate, the large road in front of the spillway, and the surrounding forest all match the footage. Image Meanwhile, AFP file photos of the GERD taken during construction in 2022 show that it is structurally different from the dams seen in the Facebook clip.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Old video report misleadingly used to claim Ethiopian oil supplied to market
The post in Amharic, published on Facebook on June 27, 2025, reads: 'Ethiopian oil has become available to the market'. 'Ethiopian oil production has been increased and made available to the market,' adds the post, which has been shared more than 240 times since. The post contains a six-second clip divided into two sections: the top half of the screen shows a news anchor speaking in Amharic while the bottom half shows thick black liquid bubbling out of the ground. On July 3, 2025, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that in September, Ethiopia will begin supplying domestically produced natural gas to the market for the first time in the country's history (archived here). However, the video does not show that Ethiopian oil has already been supplied to the market. There have been no official announcements about Ethiopian oil being made available to the market. Prime Minister Abiy's recent announcement said that his country would supply natural gas to the market in September. AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video. The search results for the footage of the news anchor established that it was originally published on the official channel of the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation back in June 2018 (archived here). The original video is over 29 minutes long and features an anchor presenting various news items, including a segment on Ethiopian crude oil production. Between the 50- and 56-second mark, the anchor says in Amharic: 'Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that Ethiopia will begin testing oil production starting tomorrow.' The misleading clip was extracted from this portion of the broadcast. In July 2018, Ethiopia tested the production of crude oil in partnership with Chinese company Poly-GCL Petroleum Investments Limited from two reserves in the Ogaden Basin — the Kalub and Hilala fields in the eastern part of the country (archived here). Search results for the second clip revealed that it shows a sewage leak in the US, not oil in Ethiopia (archived here). AFP Fact Check previously debunked the clip in January 2024. Experts confirmed that visual clues indicated the liquid in the video was not oil.
AFP
10-07-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Old video report misleadingly used to claim Ethiopian oil supplied to market
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed recently announced that his country will supply domestically produced natural gas to the market from next September. A post shared on Facebook after this announcement claims that Ethiopian crude oil is currently being sold, with a video as evidence. However, this is misleading: the video includes a clip from a news report about oil testing from more than seven years ago and an unrelated clip about a sewage leak in the United States. The country has not made crude oil available to the market yet. The post in Amharic, published on Facebook on June 27, 2025, reads: 'Ethiopian oil has become available to the market'. Image Screenshot of the misleading post, taken on July 9, 2025 'Ethiopian oil production has been increased and made available to the market,' adds the post, which has been shared more than 240 times since. The post contains a six-second clip divided into two sections: the top half of the screen shows a news anchor speaking in Amharic while the bottom half shows thick black liquid bubbling out of the ground. On July 3, 2025, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that in September, Ethiopia will begin supplying domestically produced natural gas to the market for the first time in the country's history (archived here). However, the video does not show that Ethiopian oil has already been supplied to the market. Unrelated clips There have been no official announcements about Ethiopian oil being made available to the market. Prime Minister Abiy's recent announcement said that his country would supply natural gas to the market in September. AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video. The search results for the footage of the news anchor established that it was originally published on the official channel of the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation back in June 2018 (archived here). The original video is over 29 minutes long and features an anchor presenting various news items, including a segment on Ethiopian crude oil production. Between the 50- and 56-second mark, the anchor says in Amharic: 'Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that Ethiopia will begin testing oil production starting tomorrow.' The misleading clip was extracted from this portion of the broadcast. In July 2018, Ethiopia tested the production of crude oil in partnership with Chinese company Poly-GCL Petroleum Investments Limited from two reserves in the Ogaden Basin — the Kalub and Hilala fields in the eastern part of the country (archived here). Image Screenshots of the original video (left) and the misleading post, taken on July 9, 2025 Search results for the second clip revealed that it shows a sewage leak in the US, not oil in Ethiopia (archived here). AFP Fact Check previously debunked the clip in January 2024. Experts confirmed that visual clues indicated the liquid in the video was not oil.
