The Ethiopian ambassador, @AmbNebiyuTedla, wrote an article for the Ethiopian propaganda network @HornReview in which he called for the seizure of Eritrea’s Dahlak islands and the establishment of an Ethiopian naval base on the Dahlak islands.[1][2]
Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter condemns invading neighboring countries or seizing ports, as it prohibits “the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”[3] Similarly, Article 301 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) does not endorse forced seizure and the establishment of naval bases, requiring states to “refrain from any threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the principles of international law embodied in the Charter of the United Nations.”[4]
[1] Nebiyu Tedla, “From the Dahlak Islands to the Strait of Hormuz: The Prospects of Ethiopia’s Maritime Agency amid Gulf Turmoil – A Geostrategic Analysis,” Horn Review, 13 June 2025, https://hornreview.org/2025/06/13/from-the-dahlak-islands-to-the-strait-of-hormuz-the-prospects-of-ethiopias-maritime-agency-amid-gulf-turmoil-a-geostrategic-analysis/
[2] Nebiyu Tedla, “Ethiopia’s Quest for Maritime Sovereignty: History, Geopolitics, and the Imperative of Sea Access,” Horn Review, 19 November 2025, https://hornreview.org/2025/11/19/ethiopias-quest-for-maritime-sovereignty-history-geopolitics-and-the-imperative-of-sea-access/
[3] United Nations Charter, Article 2(4), signed 26 June 1945, entered into force 24 October 1945, https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text
[4] United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Article 301, adopted 10 December 1982, entered into force 16 November 1994, https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf