Ethiopia says Eritrean troops occupy its territory

Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos has accused neighbouring Eritrea of occupying Ethiopian territory and supporting armed groups inside the country, warning that recent military movements amount to “acts of outright aggression.”

In a letter addressed to Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, Gedion said Eritrean forces had been present on Ethiopian land along the two countries’ shared border for a “considerable period,” despite repeated calls from Addis Ababa for the situation to be rectified.

He said developments in recent days showed what he described as a further escalation by Eritrea, including the advance of Eritrean troops deeper into northeastern Ethiopia and joint military manoeuvres with rebel groups along Ethiopia’s northwestern borders.

“These are not just provocations but acts of outright aggression,” the letter said, calling on Eritrea to immediately withdraw its forces from Ethiopian territory and to cease all forms of collaboration with rebel groups.

The Ethiopian foreign minister said Ethiopia remained open to a diplomatic resolution. “If we receive a positive response to our legitimate demand for respect to Ethiopia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Gedion wrote, “the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is willing to engage in good faith negotiations for a comprehensive settlement of all issues of mutual interest.”

He said such talks could include maritime affairs and Ethiopia’s access to the Red Sea through Eritrea’s port of Assab.

Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have been marked by repeated bouts of hostility since Eritrea gained independence in 1993, including a devastating border war from 1998 to 2000. While the two countries signed a peace agreement in 2018, tensions have periodically resurfaced.

Gedion said Ethiopia hoped to break the cycle of violence through dialogue, urging Eritrea to choose “peace and prosperity over conflict and chaos” for the benefit of both nations and the wider region.

Tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia have been rising amid exchanges of blame over responsibility for the deteriorating relationship. Ethiopian officials accuse Eritrea of breaching Ethiopia’s sovereignty, backing armed groups in the Amhara region, and allegedly collaborating with elements of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) to destabilize the state.

In October last year, Ethiopia’s foreign minister sent a formal letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres accusing Eritrea of colluding with the TPLF and preparing for a renewed military offensive against Ethiopia. The letter alleged clear “collusion,” including coordination and support for armed elements inside Ethiopia, and warned that Eritrean actions were destabilizing the Horn of Africa. Addis Ababa framed the communication as both a factual record of alleged cross-border interference and a plea for urgent international attention.

In the same letter, Ethiopia urged the UN to investigate the claims and to take measures to prevent escalation, presenting the note as a measured but firm diplomatic step after what it described as repeated provocations. The government emphasized that it sought to defend its sovereignty while calling on the international community to hold Eritrea accountable if the allegations were substantiated.

Eritrea has rejected these allegations, countering that Ethiopia’s leadership is pursuing access to the Red Sea by coercive means, which Asmara says poses a direct threat to its territorial integrity.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has, for the first time, publicly addressed the origins of the dispute. Speaking to parliament last week, he dismissed claims that the tensions stemmed from Ethiopia’s maritime ambitions. Instead, he traced the breakdown in relations to the early phase of the Tigray war, alleging that Eritrean forces committed destructive acts after entering the town of Shire, which he said marked the start of friction between the two governments.

Eritrean Information Minister Yemane G. Meskel condemned these remarks, accusing Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party of reversing its earlier praise for Eritrea’s military and of using new rhetoric to justify a hostile agenda against Asmara.

The latest letter comes amid renewed clashes in the Tigray region, with recent fighting concentrated in several contested areas. Observers say the violence has coincided with increased troop mobilization across both the Amhara and Tigray regions, raising fears of a wider escalation. Local sources report that the clashes have caused multiple fatalities and significant disruption to civilian life, including displacement and interruptions to basic services.

The surge in violence has prompted urgent calls for restraint from regional and international bodies. The African Union and the European Union have both urged an immediate halt to hostilities and stressed the need for de-escalation and the protection of civilians. In response to the rising tensions, Tigrayan authorities agreed to engage in African-led mediation efforts aimed at calming the situation and opening channels for dialogue.

Speaking to Tigray Television, the region’s interim president said that Tigrayan forces had withdrawn from some of the areas where clashes occurred, a move presented as part of efforts to reduce tensions and facilitate mediation. Officials on all sides continue to call for negotiations and humanitarian access, while communities in the affected zones remain on alert as the situation develops.

The broader context of the dispute is shaped by extensive international findings on abuses committed during the Tigray conflict. Multiple investigations by human rights organizations and UN bodies have implicated both Eritrean and Ethiopian forces in widespread violations, including mass killings, sexual violence, and large-scale destruction of civilian infrastructure. Reports describe these acts as systematic rather than incidental, contributing to humanitarian collapse and long-term economic damage in the region, with some studies characterizing the conduct as amounting to war crimes or crimes against humanity.

Although Addis Ababa and Asmara were allies against the TPLF during the war, relations deteriorated after the 2022 Pretoria Agreement brought the fighting to an end. Eritrea was reportedly angered by its exclusion from the peace process, while Ethiopia’s renewed emphasis on securing access to the sea and accusations that Eritrea was supporting armed groups further deepened mistrust. As clashes in Tigray have re-emerged and violence in the Amhara region continues to intensify, Ethiopia’s leadership has increasingly accused Asmara of backing Amhara militias and of forging covert ties with the TPLF, developments that now place the Pretoria peace agreement, which ended the two-year conflict, in serious jeopardy and have fueled growing fears of a direct interstate conflict between Addis Ababa and Asmara.