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Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of preparing to wage war in coordination with an opposition faction, in the latest sign of escalating tensions between the two neighbours over control of the Red Sea.
In a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos alleged that Eritrea and a “hardline faction” of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) were “funding, mobilising and directing armed groups” in Ethiopia’s Amhara region. The letter, seen by AFP, claims this alliance has become “more evident over the past few months.”
Eritrea has not commented on the accusations, but relations with Ethiopia have sharply deteriorated since Addis Ababa began pushing for renewed access to the Red Sea last year — a move that has alarmed Eritrea, which gained control of the coastline after its independence in 1993.
If the allegations are accurate, they suggest Eritrea is waging a proxy campaign against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government to prevent any military attempt to seize Red Sea ports.
The letter also accuses Eritrea and TPLF hardliners of supporting Amhara militias known as Fano, who have been fighting federal forces and reportedly sought to capture the town of Woldiya in September. The privately owned Addis Standard reported that TPLF commanders took part in that operation.
Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a bloody border war from 1998 to 2000 that left tens of thousands dead. Abiy restored relations with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki in 2018 — a move that helped earn him the Nobel Peace Prize — but the alliance has since unravelled.
Eritrea backed Ethiopian forces during the 2020–2022 Tigray conflict but was excluded from the peace deal signed in Pretoria. It is now accused of aligning with a rival TPLF faction led by Debretsion Gebremichael, which opposes Abiy and accuses Addis Ababa of failing to fully implement the peace agreement.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s president, Taye Atske Selassie, reignited tensions on Monday when he described the Red Sea and the Nile River as “vital to our country’s existence.” Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel dismissed the remarks as “too crass and pathetic to sell,” calling Ethiopia’s “obsession” with the Red Sea “bizarre and mind-boggling.”
