Eritrea has accused Ethiopia of fabricating a fallacious narrative of “self-defense” to rationalise and camouflage a planned war of aggression aimed at securing sovereign access to the Red Sea, Information Minister Yemane G. Meskel said.
Meskel stated that the Ethiopian government, which he referred to as the “Potemkin Party regime” in an apparent reference to the ruling Prosperity Party, has been incessantly beating the drums of war. He alleged that Ethiopian officials, from the Prime Minister down to senior military figures, have openly stated their intention to launch an offensive to acquire sovereign sea access, project maritime power, and establish a presence in Eritrea’s southern coastal areas.
The information minister said that Ethiopia has attempted in recent weeks to repackage its war agenda by fabricating various allegations against Eritrea, characterising the move as a flagrant violation of international law that cannot be blurred through deceptive narratives.
To support his claims, Meskel cited recent remarks attributed to a senior Ethiopian general following an upsurge of fighting in northern Ethiopia. During an interview with a local media outlet on 27 September, the general allegedly stated: “… When we launch the offensive, we will not stop in Tigray.. Our main objective it to install our flag in the Red Sea”.
According to Meskel, the same general stated on a separate occasion that the Tigray regional capital is only a waypoint, declaring: “Mekelle is a mere stop-over, our ultimate destination is Assab”.
“So let us connect the dots. The writing on wall has remained crystal clear for more than three years now,” Meskel said, adding that Ethiopia’s overarching objective is to disguise its offensive intentions to capture Eritrean territory.
Unverified claims by Ethiopia that Eritrea sent troops to Tigray
Meanwhile, unverified reports indicate that Eritrean troops have deployed around Adigrat in northern Tigray, according to AFP, citing an anonymous Ethiopian official. Local officials and residents stated that heavily armed units are moving south through Idaga Hamus towards Mekelle. Eritrea has not confirmed the deployment, and the reports have not been independently verified.
Ethiopia’s Minister of the Government Communication Service, Enatalem Melese, told Bloomberg that Eritrean forces operating in Tigray “must leave Ethiopian territory without delay”. Reuters also reported the deployment, citing officials in the Tigray Region.
The claims emerge amid Addis Ababa’s escalating campaign over Eritrea’s port of Assab, which Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has stated his country will regain in “a matter of time.” In response, the United Kingdom has warned Ethiopia against rhetoric threatening a nation’s sovereignty, while the European Union has insisted that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected.”
On 4 October, Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia declared in New Alamein that Red Sea governance is “the exclusive responsibility of the littoral states”, and rejected interference in the region’s affairs “under any pretext”.
