Eritrea formally requested the UN Security Council on Saturday to take deterrent measures against Ethiopia, stating that Addis Ababa’s unfounded accusations of an invasion by Eritrean forces amount to a “declaration of war.”
The Ethiopian claims of an incursion have been firmly denied by Asmara and remain entirely unverified by independent media or satellite imagery. In fact, video footage recently circulated on social media purportedly showing Eritrean troops entering Ethiopia has been identified as outdated footage from 2023.
This lack of evidence is corroborated by independent assessments. The American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (CTP) explicitly stated it has been unable to confirm the unverified claims of increased Eritrean troop presence. The CTP noted that the sources alleging this buildup lacked supporting media or evidence, and the project could not find any corroborating information showing deployments or new defensive installations in their reviews of satellite imagery from the area.
Ethiopian scheme to illegally obtain access to Red Sea through Eritrea
In a letter to the UN, Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh emphasized that these fabricated claims are part of an Ethiopian scheme to justify a war of aggression. He called on the UN Security Council to forcefully condemn Ethiopia’s actions and apply appropriate deterrent measures under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
Regional observers note that Ethiopia’s recent aggressive posturing may be an attempt to deflect from its own internal crises. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel highlighted that Asmara has consistently shown restraint, even after landlocked Ethiopia issued a 2023 statement threatening to acquire sovereign access to the sea—a move Asmara viewed as a declaration of a war of aggression.
This latest unrest follows months of tension and the launch of new alliance of seven armed groups in Ethiopia, including the TPLF, Amhara Fano, and Oromo Liberation Army in September.
