<\/p>\n
Abiy was sworn in on Monday before pledging to strengthen Ethiopia\u2019s regional influence and renewing the landlocked country\u2019s demand for access to the Red Sea.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ethiopia lost direct access to the coast when Eritrea gained independence in 1993. Neighbouring coastal countries have maintained that Red Sea access and responsibility rest with the states bordering the waterway.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Political Scientist and Conflict Resolution Analyst Dr David Matsanga said access to the sea would remain an important foreign-policy objective during Abiy\u2019s second term. \u201cThe real pressure for Ethiopia is to get a route to the sea,\u201d Matsanga said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ethiopia currently depends heavily on Djibouti for maritime trade and has explored alternatives involving Somaliland.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Matsanga said Ethiopia\u2019s substantial economy and infrastructure investment could support wider development across the Horn of Africa. However, regional disagreements over maritime access should be resolved through diplomacy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Matsanga also urged Abiy to pursue dialogue with opposition parties and armed groups operating within Ethiopia. \u201cMake peace, make dialogue. Don\u2019t listen to these warmongers who want to fight and fight,\u201d Matsanga said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ethiopia continues to face political divisions and unresolved tensions following the 2020-2022 civil war.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Pretoria peace agreement ended major hostilities between the federal government and the Tigray People\u2019s Liberation Front, but instability continues in parts of the country.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Matsanga said the reconciliation process should include political and armed groups that were not sufficiently represented during previous negotiations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Matsanga proposed an approach centred on \u201creconciliation, accountability, reparation, restitution and, above all, healing\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Economic recovery and improved living conditions should also become priorities following major infrastructure development. \u201cYou have done infrastructure. Now you need to give people jobs. You need to give people shelter. You need to give people food. You need to give people hospitals. You need to give people good schools,\u201d Matsanga said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Abiy\u2019s second term is expected to be shaped by efforts to stabilise Ethiopia, rebuild public trust, create employment and secure reliable access to international trade routes.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Matsanga said the African Union (AU) should support inclusive dialogue within Ethiopia and help neighbouring countries resolve regional disputes peacefully.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":43929,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-47417","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Ethiopia should prioritise national reconciliation, employment and regional diplomacy as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed begins a second five-year term, a political scientist says.","published_date":"","news_description":"Ethiopia should prioritise national reconciliation, employment and regional diplomacy as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed begins a second five-year term, a political scientist says.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47418,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47417\/revisions\/47418"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=47417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}