Ethiopia accused Eritrea on Thursday of violating its sovereignty, saying Eritrean forces were occupying several local administrative areas in the country’s north, in the most direct allegation Addis Ababa has made since tensions resurfaced between the neighbours.
Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos made the remarks at a foreign-policy forum at Addis Ababa University attended by diplomats and government officials. He said the presence of Eritrean troops constituted a breach of Ethiopia’s territorial integrity and accused Asmara of interfering in Ethiopia’s internal affairs by supporting armed groups, including factions linked to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Fano militia.
“At the moment, Eritrean troops are in control of several local administration units in northern Ethiopia, areas that fall squarely within Ethiopian sovereign territory,” Gedion said. He added that Ethiopia had grounds to exercise self-defence but had so far shown restraint.
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a 1998–2000 border war and remained hostile for nearly two decades until Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed initiated a rapprochement in 2018. The two sides later aligned against Tigrayan forces during the 2020–2022 war but ties have deteriorated since the Pretoria peace agreement.
Gedion dismissed suggestions that the latest tensions were linked to Ethiopia’s interest in gaining access to the Red Sea and said the roots of the dispute were more complex. He argued that economic integration could ease mistrust and urged what he described as a more flexible approach to sovereignty in the region.
Eritrea has not publicly responded to Ethiopia’s latest accusations.
