Hawassa military display depicts a soldier breaking through toward Assab

AP reported that the Hawassa special-forces display featured a soldier breaking a door while aiming toward Assab, beneath a banner rejecting continued landlocked status regardless of others’ wishes. Senior government and military officials attended.

Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry separately attributes to Abiy at that ceremony a naval-security ambition extending from Somalia to Massawa. The visual display and the attributed speech are grouped as one event, dated 22 February 2026.

Associated Press · Eritrean Foreign Ministry · Shabait