Ethiopia says Eritrea launched an ‘all-out invasion’ as border tensions escalate
ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia says it is acting in self-defence after accusing Eritrea of an “all-out invasion” of its northern territory, as explosions were reported near the border between the two countries.
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In a letter to the United Nations seen by Reuters on Friday, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos said Eritrean troops had pushed up to 60 kilometres (37 miles) inside Ethiopia.
“The all-out invasion of parts of northern Ethiopia by Eritrea is a matter of public record,” the letter said. “It is a blatant act of aggression that engages Ethiopia’s inherent right to self-defence.”
The letter, dated Thursday and addressed to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, was also circulated to other members of the UN Security Council, a senior Ethiopian government official told Reuters.
Eritrea rejected the allegations. Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said Asmara had exercised restraint despite what he called an Ethiopian campaign of aggression that had continued for more than three years.
Referring to remarks by Ethiopian officials, Yemane accused Addis Ababa of attempting to capture the Eritrean port of Assab in order to restore access to the Red Sea. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has repeatedly called maritime access a vital national interest, while maintaining that the issue must be settled peacefully.
The accusations came after reports that Eritrean troops had entered northern Ethiopia this week, shortly after the neighbouring countries cut diplomatic ties. Eritrea has denied backing an armed rebel alliance fighting Ethiopia’s federal forces.
Conflict monitor ACLED said drone strikes, apparently conducted by the Ethiopian military, hit Eritrean forces on Wednesday and Thursday as they pulled back from positions near Adigrat. The town lies in the northern Tigray region, about 30 kilometres from the Eritrean border.
A resident of Adigrat told Reuters on Friday that explosions were heard repeatedly overnight and into the morning from locations several kilometres beyond the town.
Ethiopian government forces have continued advancing in Tigray in recent days. National carrier Ethiopian Airlines said it would restart flights to Mekelle, the regional capital, on October 11.
Eritrea has also rejected claims that it is supporting the rebel alliance, which has fought federal troops since September 23 across the northern regions of Tigray, Amhara and Afar.
Ethiopia became landlocked after Eritrea won independence in 1993. Abiy has said access to the sea is crucial to Ethiopia, while his government insists it will seek that goal through negotiations and not military action.
The two countries signed a peace agreement in 2018 after years of hostility, a development that earned Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize that year. Eritrean forces later fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal army during the 2020-2022 Tigray war, though relations again soured near the conflict’s end.
The latest clashes have raised concern that fighting could spread across the Horn of Africa, where disputes over security and Red Sea access have intensified. Estimates indicate that the Tigray conflict killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
AXADLETM
