In this video, we'll explore Ethiopia and Eritrea's dispute over the Red Sea.

The dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea over the Red Sea has been ongoing for decades, and it has had a major impact on the way the two countries interact with each other. In this video, we'll explore the history of the dispute and how it has affected the people living along the Red Sea.
Ethiopia, a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa, was historically connected to the Red Sea through its territory of Eritrea. However, the story of how Ethiopia lost direct access to the Red Sea is a complex one, marked by a series of historical events and disputes.

Before 1993, Eritrea was part of Ethiopia, and Ethiopia had a coastline along the Red Sea, providing it with direct access to this crucial body of water. This access was significant for Ethiopia's trade, economic activities, and strategic interests. However, this arrangement changed dramatically in 1993 when Eritrea declared its independence from Ethiopia.

The Red Sea is a long, narrow body of water that stretches from Egypt to the Arabian Peninsula. It's like a long river of saltwater that goes from Egypt to a place called the Strait of Mandeb, which connects to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. The Red Sea separates Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea from Saudi Arabia and Yemen. There's also a part of it called the Gulf of Aqaba that goes up to Israel and Jordan. The water in the Red Sea is very warm and salty.

With its connection to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal, the water is a vital economic artery and is likely to become more so in the coming decades, it is one of the most heavily traveled waterways in the world, carrying traffic between Europe and Asia. In geopolitical terms, it should increasingly be seen as worthy of unified policy attention on its own, perhaps more so than the traditional and broad "Middle East" focus of American and European policy-makers. More than 10 percent of global trade passes through the Red Sea each year, crossing two of the 10 most strategic waterways in the world. The name "Red Sea" comes from the way the water changes color.