U.S. calls for restraint as Ethiopia-Eritrea tensions intensify
Washington, Oct 4 (SANA) The United States called on Ethiopia and Eritrea Saturday to show maximum restraint and resume dialogue as renewed fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region sharpened tensions across the Horn of Africa and fueled fears of a broader conflict.
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Ethiopian federal forces entered Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, on Saturday, according to a humanitarian source cited by AFP. Residents said forces from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) had withdrawn from the city, although telecommunications outages have made it difficult to independently confirm events on the ground.
Tommy Pigott, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, warned that the escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea could have consequences well beyond their borders. The Horn of Africa, he said, could not withstand another war or humanitarian emergency.
Pigott also cautioned that a conflict between the two countries could jeopardize U.S. cooperation with both governments on matters of mutual interest.
He urged Ethiopia and Eritrea to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring countries, exercise maximum restraint and honor the commitments made in the 2018 peace declaration.
“Dialogue and cooperation,” Pigott said, offer the best route to lasting security, economic expansion and prosperity.
Regional diplomatic falloutEritrea said Thursday that it was cutting diplomatic ties with Ethiopia after Addis Ababa announced the closure of its embassy in Asmara and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats. The officials included the chargé d’affaires and diplomats accredited to the African Union, who were declared persona non grata.
Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat without giving a reason, prompting Cairo to take a reciprocal step, AFP reported.
The diplomatic rupture has unfolded alongside renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia, competing accusations of meddling in domestic affairs and backing armed groups, and a dispute over Ethiopia’s efforts to secure access to the Red Sea.
The latest escalation has heightened concern that neighboring states could be pulled into a broader regional confrontation.
A diplomatic source cited by AFP said the presidents of Egypt, Eritrea and Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as well as Sudanese Armed Forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, were expected to meet Sunday in Alamein, Egypt, on the sidelines of an African Business Forum.
The gathering comes as the crisis in Tigray adds pressure to already strained regional relationships and revives memories of the 2020-2022 war.
The Pretoria peace agreement, brokered by African institutions and Washington in 2022, ended the fighting but produced only an uneasy calm and was never fully implemented, according to AFP.
