{"id":826,"date":"2026-01-31T06:39:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T06:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/profbisharegal.com\/?p=826"},"modified":"2026-01-31T06:39:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T06:39:06","slug":"storm-clouds-over-the-eritrean-ethiopian-border-how-the-uae-is-financing-a-proxy-war-over-the-strategic-port-of-assab-its-on-behalf-of-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/profbisharegal.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/31\/storm-clouds-over-the-eritrean-ethiopian-border-how-the-uae-is-financing-a-proxy-war-over-the-strategic-port-of-assab-its-on-behalf-of-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"Storm Clouds Over the Eritrean\u2013Ethiopian Border: How the UAE Is Financing a Proxy War Over the Strategic Port of Assab, It\u2019s on Behalf of Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction: A Manufactured Confrontation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Horn of Africa is on the edge of a catastrophic confrontation. Ethiopia and Eritrea are once again facing off, this time over\u00a0the strategic Eritrean port of Assab (see map below)<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

On the surface, this is a bilateral dispute. In reality, it is a proxy war being manufactured by external actors \u2014 chiefly the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel \u2014 using Ethiopia\u2019s domestic crisis as leverage.<\/em><\/p>\n

Abyssinia as African Colonial Empire<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While Ethiopia is celebrated as an African state that resisted European colonization, it was itself a colonial empire dominated by the Amhara elite. Oromos, Afars, and Somalis were forcibly incorporated, subjected to land grabs, and cultural suppression. Even Tigrayans faced violent repression when they resisted central rule. Ethiopia\u2019s expansionist claim to Assab must be understood as a continuation of this imperial legacy.<\/p>\n

Ethiopia\u2019s 2026 Elections and the Politics of War<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With Ethiopia\u2019s general elections scheduled for June 2026,\u00a0Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed<\/strong>\u00a0is mobilizing nationalist rhetoric to shore up his rule. His declaration in 2023 that \u201c120 million Ethiopians cannot remain landlocked forever\u201d reflects not just strategic need, but political survival. By promising sea access, Abiy seeks to unify a fractured country and distract from insurgencies in Oromia and Amhara.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

UAE\u2019s Maritime Empire and Red Sea Strategy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The UAE has systematically established a maritime empire across the Horn of Africa and beyond. Through DP World, it controls Berbera and Bosaso. In Yemen, it operates from Aden, Mukalla, and Socotra. In Eritrea, it leased Assab in 2015. These ports, nominally commercial, function as strategic bases. Since the Abraham Accords, they also serve Israeli objectives, turning the Red Sea into a militarized zone.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s Red Sea Strategy: The Hidden Hand<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Israel regards the Red Sea as a strategic frontier. Assab offers vantage points to monitor Egypt\u2019s Suez Canal, counter Saudi naval presence, and disrupt Iranian supply to the Houthis. By outsourcing its operations to the UAE, Israel secures deniability while embedding itself across the Horn. Eritrea\u2019s ports are pawns in this broader strategy of militarization.<\/p>\n

Eritrea\u2019s Isolation and Vulnerability<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Eritrea\u2019s regime, led by\u00a0Isaias Afwerki,<\/strong>\u00a0is militarized but fragile. International sanctions, economic stagnation, and decades of authoritarianism have left it isolated. Leasing Assab to the UAE in 2015 compromised Eritrea\u2019s sovereignty, and now with Abu Dhabi shifting toward Addis Ababa, Asmara is dangerously exposed.<\/p>\n

Regional Fallout<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A war over Assab would destabilize the Horn and beyond. Sudan, already in civil war, would collapse further. Somalia, trapped between Turkish and Emirati influence, would lose more sovereignty. Yemen\u2019s Houthis would escalate Red Sea attacks. Global trade through Bab al-Mandab, which carries 10 percent of world commerce, would be jeopardized.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: Resisting Proxy Wars<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The looming Ethiopia\u2013Eritrea conflict is not inevitable. It is being engineered by foreign actors \u2014 the UAE and Israel \u2014 and fueled by Abiy\u2019s political desperation. The peoples of the Horn must resist becoming pawns in this proxy war. Sovereignty and solidarity are the only alternatives to endless cycles of foreign-driven conflict.<\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

Click the share button below\u00a0to email\/forward this article. Follow us on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0and subscribe to our\u00a0Telegram Channel<\/a>.\u00a0Feel free to repost Global Research articles with proper attribution.<\/p>\n

Prof. Dr. Bischara Ali Egal,\u00a0<\/strong>Executive Director and Chief Clinical Researcher, Canada Specialized Hospital (1998) Inc., Jidka Wadnaha Hwy., KPP, Hodan.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alex de Waal. The Real Politics of the Horn of Africa: Money, War and the Business of Power. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2015.<\/p>\n

Bahru Zewde. A History of Modern Ethiopia, 1855\u20131991. Oxford: James Currey, 2001.<\/p>\n

International Crisis Group. Ethiopia and Eritrea: Preventing War over the Red Sea. Brussels: ICG, 2023.<\/p>\n

Reuters. \u201cEthiopia\u2019s Abiy Says Red Sea Access Is a Necessity, Not a Choice.\u201d October 2023.<\/p>\n

Middle East Eye. \u201cRevealed: UAE Deploys Israeli Radar in Somalia under Secret Deal.\u201d July 2024.<\/p>\n

Roland Marchal. \u201cRed Sea Politics: Ports and Power.\u201d Horn of Africa Network Papers, 2022.<\/p>\n

Associated Press. \u201cUAE Expands Port Holdings in Yemen.\u201d July 2021.<\/p>\n

Mary Harper. Everything You Have Told Me Is True: The Many Faces of Al-Shabaab. London: Zed Books, 2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction: A Manufactured Confrontation The Horn of Africa is on the edge of a catastrophic confrontation. Ethiopia and Eritrea are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/profbisharegal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/profbisharegal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/profbisharegal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/profbisharegal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/profbisharegal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=826"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/profbisharegal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":829,"href":"https:\/\/profbisharegal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826\/revisions\/829"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/profbisharegal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/profbisharegal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/profbisharegal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/profbisharegal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}