Eritrea has firmly denied accusations from Ethiopia that its troops crossed into Ethiopian territory, dismissing the claims as fabricated and politically motivated.
The dispute escalated after Ethiopia’s foreign minister sent a formal letter on Saturday to his Eritrean counterpart, demanding the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean soldiers. The letter accused Eritrea of carrying out “acts of outright aggression,” including joint military operations with rebel groups in northern Ethiopia and supplying them with weapons.
In a sharp response, Eritrea’s government rejected the allegations, saying they were part of what it described as a prolonged campaign of hostility against the country that has lasted for more than two years.
Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have long been fragile. The two countries separated three decades ago and later fought a devastating border war between 1998 and 2000 that claimed more than 100,000 lives. Although a peace agreement was signed, it was never fully implemented, leaving tensions simmering for years.
Diplomatic ties improved in 2018 when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited Eritrea’s capital, Asmara, a move that later earned him the Nobel Peace Prize. More recently, the two nations were allies during Ethiopia’s civil war, with Eritrea backing Ethiopian forces against Tigrayan fighters. However, that alliance has since broken down.
In his letter, Ethiopia’s foreign minister Gedion Timothewos accused Eritrea of deliberately escalating tensions, claiming Eritrean troops had advanced deeper into Ethiopia’s north-eastern border areas while coordinating with rebel forces along the north-western frontier.
A major point of disagreement remains Ethiopia’s demand for access to the sea. Prime Minister Abiy has previously described the issue as existential, arguing that Ethiopia’s loss of direct access to a port following Eritrea’s independence was a historic mistake. Ethiopian officials have suggested that negotiations over port access, including the Eritrean port of Assab, could take place if Eritrean troops withdraw.
Eritrea’s information ministry strongly rejected Ethiopia’s accusations, calling them “patently false and fabricated” and accusing Addis Ababa of attempting to justify a potential military confrontation.
The deterioration in relations has been further fuelled by recent statements from Abiy, who for the first time publicly accused Eritrean forces of massacring civilians in the historic Ethiopian city of Aksum during the 2020–2022 civil war in Tigray. Eritrea has consistently denied responsibility for the alleged killings.
Ethiopia now claims Eritrea is backing rebel groups in Tigray who oppose the peace agreement that ended the conflict. Last month, Ethiopian police said they intercepted thousands of rounds of ammunition allegedly sent by Eritrea to these fighters.
Eritrea has dismissed those claims, accusing Ethiopia of spreading false narratives to justify a war it says Addis Ababa has been preparing for over the past two years.