Ethiopia and Eritrea Accuse Each Other of Starting War
Theo Al Jazeera English
Ethiopia has told the UN Security Council that Eritrea launched a "full-scale invasion" of its northern Tigray region, with troops advancing up to 60 km, while Eritrea accuses Addis Ababa of waging an unprovoked war of aggression and plotting to seize its Red Sea port of Assab. The mutual accusations come days after the two neighbors severed diplomatic ties.
Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of launching a "full-scale invasion" of its north in a letter to the United Nations Security Council, while Eritrea says it is facing "a war of aggression" from its neighbor. The two countries traded accusations as bilateral relations, already strained, deteriorated further.
According to the letter from Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos, shared with news agencies on Friday, "Eritrea's full-scale invasion of part of northern Ethiopia is a fact plain for all to see." The letter, dated Thursday and addressed to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, said the move was "a blatant act of aggression that requires Ethiopia to exercise its legitimate right of self-defense."
Gedion said Eritrean troops had advanced as far as 60 km (37 miles) into Ethiopia's northern Tigray region and demanded their withdrawal, just days after the two nations severed diplomatic relations.
Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel rejected Ethiopia's accusations. In a post on X, he said: "The Ethiopian regime has in fact pursued an unprovoked war of aggression against Eritrea for more than three years."
According to Yemane, Asmara has shown restraint since Ethiopia — a landlocked country — effectively declared war on Eritrea by announcing in 2023 that it would secure access to the sea. Citing statements by Ethiopian officials, he accused Addis Ababa of exploiting the current conflict to seize Eritrea's port of Assab in order to restore access to the Red Sea.
Eritrea also denied Ethiopia's allegation that it is backing the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). The TPLF is part of an alliance of seven armed groups that has sought to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government since September.
Over the past week, Ethiopian forces pushed back the TPLF and captured Tigray's capital, Mekelle. Witnesses also told AFP that the rebels had lost the Tigrayan cities of Shire and Adigrat. According to some witnesses, Eritrean troops were seen in Adigrat before Ethiopian drone strikes targeted them.
A Turbulent History
Ethiopia and Eritrea have exchanged accusations since reports of Eritrean incursions this week raised fears of all-out war in a region where the two countries have fought repeatedly.
This time, tensions have been further fueled by conflicts in the Horn of Africa and strains across the Red Sea.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries collapsed amid the escalation: Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave the country last week. In response, Eritrea announced it was severing ties.
The two neighbors have a turbulent history: Eritrea won independence from Ethiopia in 1993, and the two sides fought a two-year border war in 1998. Relations improved somewhat in 2018 when Abiy came to power in Addis Ababa, and Eritrea fought alongside Ethiopia against the TPLF in the civil war from 2020 to 2022.
Eritrea, however, was not party to the peace deal that ended that war, and relations between the two countries soured soon afterward.
Tensions have also been inflamed by Abiy's repeated assertions that Ethiopia — landlocked since Eritrea's independence cut off its access to the coast — has a right to sea access. Eritrea views this as a threat to its hold on the Red Sea port of Assab.
