Ethiopia has warned that coercion and aggression will not undermine its interests in the Red Sea and Nile, a day after Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia declared maritime governance the exclusive responsibility of coastal states and rejected unilateral measures harming downstream water supplies.

In a statement on Monday, Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry cited the East African country’s historical and geographical connections to the Red Sea and its position as the source of the Blue Nile, saying these realities cannot be altered by coercion or destabilization measures.

“Actions taken through proxies or acts of aggression will not change the facts on the ground,” the ministry said, declaring Ethiopia ready to defend its sovereignty and “core national interests.”

The statement did not name the four countries, whose leaders met in New Alamein, Egypt on Sunday for talks on regional security and cooperation. In a joint declaration following the summit, Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia reaffirmed “the principle of freedom of navigation” and called for cooperation on transboundary rivers, including the Nile, through “prior notification, consultation and consensus.”

Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan have long clashed over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam with a generating capacity of 5,150 megawatts, which Ethiopia built on the Blue Nile and inaugurated in September 2025. Egypt and Sudan fear its operation could threaten their water supplies and demand a binding agreement on filling and operation. Ethiopia considers the dam essential for electricity generation and development and maintains that it will not harm its downstream neighbors.

According to the Foreign Ministry’s statement, the Blue Nile originates almost entirely in the Ethiopian highlands and supplies around 85% of the Nile’s total flow.

Ethiopia became landlocked when its former province, Eritrea, gained independence in 1993 after a decades-long liberation war. Its pursuit of sea access, which Ethiopia considers vital to its economy and security, has fueled tensions with neighboring countries. In January 2024, it signed a deal with Somaliland to obtain coastline access for a naval base in exchange for recognition. Somalia condemned the agreement as a violation of its sovereignty.

A Turkish-mediated agreement in December 2024 eased tensions and provided for negotiations on commercial sea access under Somali sovereignty. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told Al Jazeera over the weekend that his government has “no objection to Ethiopia gaining access to the sea through Somalia.” He said the country could offer Ethiopia access to up to three ports for trade.

Ethiopia’s push for sovereign access to Eritrea’s Assab Port has also strained relations with Eritrea, which accuses the country of plotting to take its ports by force. The two countries broke diplomatic ties last week after Ethiopia accused the Eritrean authorities of financing armed groups seeking to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.