Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of military incursion and backing rebels, escalating tensions along their shared northwestern border.
ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia has formally demanded its neighbour Eritrea “immediately withdraw its troops” from Ethiopian territory.
Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos (pic) accused Asmara’s forces of an “incursion” and of collaborating with “rebel groups” along the northwestern border.
In a letter dated Saturday to his Eritrean counterpart, Timothewos stated these actions were “not just provocations but acts of outright aggression”. He demanded Eritrea “cease all forms of collaboration with rebel groups”.
The minister warned that “developments over the last few days indicate that the Government of Eritrea has chosen the path of further escalation”.
He added, however, that he believed the “cycle of violence and mistrust” could still be broken through diplomacy.
The Eritrean government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Relations between the Horn of Africa nations have long been fraught, with Addis Ababa recently accusing Eritrea of supporting insurgents, allegations Asmara denies.
Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993. The two countries fought a devastating border war from 1998 to 2000 that claimed tens of thousands of lives.
They later cooperated against rebels from Ethiopia’s Tigray region during the 2020-2022 conflict. This alliance soured over the subsequent peace accord, from which Eritrea was excluded.
