Ethiopia and Eritrea have exchanged accusations of aggression at the United Nations, raising fears of a new conflict in the Horn of Africa region as fighting intensifies in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region.
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fighting → exchange → region
The diplomatic spat comes as Ethiopian troops and allied armed groups advanced across Tigray, where forces from Asmara have allegedly crossed the border to support rebels fighting the government forces.
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forces → come → forces
The two neighbours, which fought a deadly border war between 1998 and 2000, were allies during Ethiopia’s devastating 2020-2022 Tigray war.
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which → fight → war
However, they have since been at loggerheads over the 2022 peace agreement that ended a two-year civil war between the government in Addis Ababa and Tigray rebels, and over Ethiopia’s demands for access to the Red Sea.
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that → end → Sea
So, what did Eritrea and Ethiopia accuse each other of, and are they inching towards war?
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they → accuse → war
What did Eritrea and Ethiopia say at the UN?
Eritrean troops had advanced as far as 60km (37 miles) into Tigray, Ethiopia told the UN Security Council on Friday, accusing its neighbour of violating its sovereignty.
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Ethiopia → say → sovereignty
In a letter, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos described the alleged incursion as “a blatant act of aggression that engages Ethiopia’s inherent right to self-defence”.
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that → describe → defence
He invoked Article 51 of the UN Charter, which recognises a country’s right to self-defence, but did not specify what measures Ethiopia was taking.
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Ethiopia → invoke → measures
Eritrea, which won independence from Ethiopia in 1993, rejected the accusations of incursions into Ethiopia, calling them a pretext for an Addis Ababa offensive.
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which → win → offensive
Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, in his own letter to the UN Security Council on Saturday, urged the body to condemn Ethiopia’s “deplorable declaration of war” and take “deterrent measures”.
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Saleh → urge → measures
He warned that an Ethiopian offensive would cause “huge devastation to the peoples of both countries and destabilise the whole region”.
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offensive → warn → region
The accusations come amid a broader dispute over access to the Red Sea.
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accusations → come → Sea
Landlocked Ethiopia has repeatedly argued that securing direct sea access is essential, while Eritrea fears Addis Ababa intends to seize its port of Assab.
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Ababa → argue → Assab
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated on Monday that Ethiopia must have access to the Red Sea.
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Ethiopia → reiterate → Sea
Hossamaldeen Ibrahim, an analyst at Bloomsbury Intelligence and Security Institute (BISI), said the narratives of both countries contain “verifiable elements”.
“The danger lies in the fact that each side now treats the other’s narrative as existential,” he told Al Jazeera.
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he → say → Jazeera
Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a deadly border war from 1998 to 2000.
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Eritrea → fight → 2000
Relations improved after Abiy came to power in 2018, but have soured again in recent years.
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Abiy → improve → years
Professor Matthias Rompel from the Institute of Sociology at the Justus-Liebig-University Giessen in Germany, said that both sides have legitimate security concerns, but their accusations need to be distinguished from independently verified facts.
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accusations → say → facts
“Ethiopia’s allegations of Eritrean military incursions into Tigray… and …the scale of Eritrean involvement, and particularly allegations that Asmara is orchestrating the rebellion against Addis Ababa, remain difficult to substantiate independently,” he told Al Jazeera.
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he → orchestrate → Jazeera
He added that the latest developments suggest that the confrontation is no longer merely about Tigray.
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confrontation → add → Tigray
“Ethiopia’s quest for Red Sea access, Eritrea’s concerns about sovereignty, and Egypt’s strategic rivalry with Ethiopia over the Nile are interconnected,” he said.
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he → say → Nile
“The conflict, therefore, has the potential to destabilise the wider Horn of Africa, with repercussions for Sudan, Somalia and Red Sea security.
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conflict → have → Sudan
”
What is the latest fighting about, and how is Eritrea allegedly involved?
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Eritrea → involve → What
Fighting escalated on September 23 when a rebel alliance, including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), launched attacks against Ethiopian government forces across Tigray, Amhara and Afar regions.
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alliance → escalate → regions
The rebels captured Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, and its airport before announcing their withdrawal on October 3.
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rebels → capture → October
Government-allied forces subsequently entered the city.
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forces → ally → city
In the latest on the battlefront, government and allied forces took Idaga Hamus early Friday and Abiy-Adi, in the Tembien area, on Thursday afternoon, according to Ermiyas Ababu, a commander of the government-allied Tigray Peace Force.
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forces → ally → Force
Residents, according to Reuters news agency, also reported the takeover of Idaga Hamus.
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Residents → accord → Hamus
Gebremedhin Kihishen, a business owner in Tembien, said government-allied forces controlled Abiy-Adi.
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forces → say → Adi
It was unclear from those accounts who held the towns immediately before the reported government advance or whether Eritrean troops were involved in the fighting.
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troops → hold → fighting
Ermiyas previously reported Eritrean personnel entering Adigrat on Tuesday and Idaga Hamus on Wednesday, citing reports from his personnel.
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personnel → report → personnel
Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify the claims.
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Jazeera → verify → claims
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a United States-based conflict monitor, reported that Eritrean troops crossed into Ethiopia near Zalambessa and came under Ethiopian drone attack while advancing towards Idaga Hamus.
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troops → base → Hamus
Eritrea has yet to comment on the development.
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Eritrea → have → development
Addis Ababa accuses Asmara of financing, arming and directing armed groups, as well as deploying troops inside Tigray.
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Ababa → accuse → Tigray
Eritrea denies the allegations, which have not been independently verified.
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which → deny → allegations
The renewed fighting threatens to unravel the 2022 peace agreement.
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fighting → renew → agreement
That conflict began in November 2020 after months of tensions between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the TPLF, which had dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before Abiy took office in 2018.
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Abiy → begin → 2018
Eritrea fought alongside Ethiopian federal forces against the TPLF, its longtime adversary.
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Eritrea → fight → TPLF
The war killed hundreds of thousands of people and was marked by allegations of massacres, sexual violence and widespread hunger.
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war → kill → massacres
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
