By Lemi Tadesse
The geopolitical landscape of the Horn of Africa and East Africa has long been a focal point for external powers. Egypt, in particular, has continuously tried to destabilize the region through a strategy rooted in monopolizing the flow of the Abay River and denying Ethiopia’s fundamental right to develop.
Using greedy proxies, Cairo has openly implemented proxy wars and containment strategies to prevent Ethiopia from building a strong central government, a stable economy, and a prosperous development path. Having repeatedly tasted defeat on the battlefields, Egypt has shifted to hybrid warfare strategies—escalating internal conflicts, arming insurgents, and pitting regional countries against Ethiopia to avoid the risks of direct military confrontation.
Yet, this outdated politics of the Abay and the Red Sea has failed to shake Ethiopia's historical and firm foundations. History testifies that Ethiopia has never infringed upon anyone's rights, nor has it ever compromised its own. This civilized and balanced diplomatic tradition has saved Ethiopia from falling into the hubris of wanting to control everything alone or trample on the rights of others. Grounding its approach in the principle of mutual benefit, Ethiopia has made the equitable use of both water bodies—the Abay and the Red Sea—its primary objective.
Built through the sweat and resources of Ethiopians, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)—the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa, which shattered this web of conspiracy—stands as a living testament to this truth. Today, Ethiopia has recorded a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over 210 billion dollars, emerging as East Africa's economic powerhouse and ranking among the top five economies in Africa.
Failing to realize that Ethiopia will not turn back from its path of prosperity, the Cairo administration and its regional allies continue to provide weapons, finances, and logistical support in collaboration with the TPLF and various terrorist groups to reverse this rise in development and sovereignty. However, as always, all their maneuvers continue to be rendered futile by the steadfast strength of Ethiopians.
As the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, and other security officials have disclosed, alliances backed by Egypt sponsor proxy forces to weaken Ethiopia. Moreover, information confirms that the military wings of Egypt, Eritrea, and Sudan have their hands behind both the group calling itself "Alliance" and the dissolving, illegal TPLF.
In collusion with Sudanese military forces, Egypt financially and technically supports supply routes and training camps established along the Sudanese border. This has been clearly verified by the quantity and type of weaponry captured by our defense forces. Above all, the complete neutralization of the TPLF's conventional warfare capability has shattered Cairo’s northern containment strategy.
Beyond military attacks, Cairo has been violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations by orchestrating international diplomatic pressure and false information campaigns against Ethiopia. Even so, Ethiopia continues to nullify these hostile ambitions, completely dismantling the destructive capacity of these proxies and proving its unwavering stance for the region.
