Browsing by Author "Mikiyas Adugna"

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    Ethiopia and Ports in History: Opportunities and Challenges
    (Addis Abeba Universty, 2025-05-01) Mikiyas Adugna; Mohammad Hassen
    This thesis explores Ethiopia's historical engagement with maritime ports and the enduring efforts of its rulers to gain access to the sea. Using a qualitative approach, it draws from diverse primary and secondary sources to shed light on a often-overlooked aspect of Ethiopia’s history. Historically, Ethiopia was a significant maritime power, controlling crucial ports along the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, such as Adulis, Massawa, Assab, Baylul, Zeilam, Berbera, and Djibouti. These ports played vital roles in trade and strategic defense but also made Ethiopia vulnerable to foreign invasion. The rise of Muslim Arabs, who destroyed the port of Aksum, marked the beginning of external threats, culminating in Ottoman occupation of Massawa and later European colonization by Britain, France, and Italy ultimately leading to Ethiopia’s loss of its historic ports. Despite setbacks, Ethiopian rulers consistently prioritized access to the sea. Between 1952 and 1991, the union with Eritrea temporarily granted Ethiopia maritime access, but its secession in the early 1990s retracted this gain under contentious circumstances. For over two decades, the government remained silent on this issue, but recently, efforts have been renewed to make access to the sea a national priority, reflecting Ethiopia’s ongoing desire to restore its maritime sovereignty. This thesis highlights Ethiopia’s historical struggle for maritime access a quest marked by resilience, loss, and renewed hope for sovereignty and global connectivity.