March 30, 2025
Borkena
Toronto – Ethiopia and the United States this week discussed bilateral matters. The U.S. Department of State on Thursday disclosed that the U.S. Secretary of States, Marco Rubio, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed held a phone conversation.
This is Mr. Marko Rubio’s first phone conversation with Abiy Ahmed since taking office as Secretary of State this year. He “reaffirmed U.S. support for a peaceful and prosperous Ethiopia,” according to a brief statement from the state department.
Strengthening bilateral relations and “mutual” priority areas are among the items that were discussed. PM Abiy Ahmed and Mr. Rubio have also discussed “stability in the Horn of Africa,” apparently as part of the mutual priority areas. No further detail is provided.
Tension has been building in the region as the bilateral relation between Eritrea and Ethiopia further deteriorated over the past few months to the point that both nations have embarked on preparations for war. While the basic cause for the deteriorating relation is said to be related to the Pretoria Agreement, Eritrea has been dismissing it as “internal affairs of Ethiopia.”
More crucial factor is Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s explicit claim over access to the Red Sea which is understood as, by his detractors, a distraction from the internal crisis – two wars in the country’s two largest regions and growing economic hardship. Many – including figures like Ethiopia’s Former Defense Chief of Staff Tsadkan Gebretensae, predicted about the inevitability of war.
In a latest report, the Crisis Group said that there are “alarming and credible reports have emerged of military mobilisation on both sides of the border. Observers on the Ethiopian side tell Crisis Group that Addis has made substantial new deployments of heavy weaponry and mechanized units in the Afar region, close to the Eritrean frontier and within striking distance of Assab.” However, the Gropup was also optimistic. It still seems to see a room for mediation. China, a traditional ally of Eritrea, is among the countries that is expected to be involved in a mediation effort between the two countries.
The U.S. State department did not disclose if Mr. Marko Rubio specifically discussed Ethiopia’s tension with Eritrea. The U.S. has been close to the Ethiopian government for many decades now, which has not been the case with Eritrea. Its position on the escalating tension in the region is unclear as well.
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