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Ethiopia and Eritrea Edge Toward War Over Tigray Conflict
Confirmed
In Short: Eritrea responded by asking the United Nations to take “deterrent measures” after what it called Ethiopia’s “declaration of war” in the conflict over the Tigray region.
Ethiopia and Eritrea are on the brink of war following Ethiopia's accusation that Eritrea is backing the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which launched a major offensive against government forces on September 23.
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos wrote to the U.N. Security Council on Friday, citing Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, to say Eritrean troops had advanced up to 38 miles into Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region.
Eritrea responded by asking the United Nations to take “deterrent measures” after what it called Ethiopia’s “declaration of war” in the conflict over the Tigray region.
Local journalists and residents reported that Tigray rebels were abandoning their regional capital in northern Ethiopia on Saturday, as pro-government forces advanced on the city.
The TPLF, which ruled all of Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018, has been at war with the federal government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since 2020.
Eritrea’s intervention in the Tigray conflict was brutal, according to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who told parliament in February that it was a major cause of the rupture between the two capitals.
Eritrea announced on Thursday that it was severing all diplomatic relations with Ethiopia after Addis Ababa decided to close its embassy in Asmara and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats personae non gratae.
The situation escalated further on September 20 when seven armed organizations announced the formation of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival in opposition to the federal government.
Throughout August and September, the region of Tigray has been subjected to federal air and drone attacks, likely causing explosions at the army headquarters in Addis Ababa this week.
The TPLF’s leader, Debretsion Gebremichael, said in a video published late Thursday that “the war is regional and it is a war to control the Red Sea.”
Pope Leo made an appeal for peace as hostilities intensified in the last few days in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region.
What this adds
The conflict has escalated sharply since the end of Ethiopia's devastating 2020–2022 civil war, with both sides accusing each other of aggressive actions.
What's confirmed
- Eritrea has asked the United Nations to take “deterrent measures” after what it called Ethiopia’s “declaration of war” in the conflict over the Tigray region.
- Eritrea’s request comes a day after Addis Ababa, in a letter to the Security Council, accused Asmara of launching an “all-out invasion”, saying Eritrean troops had advanced up to 60 kilometres (37 miles) into Ethiopia’s Tigray.
What's still developing
- “Shops, restaurants and other businesses are closed, and you hardly see anyone on the streets,” said Hadush, 45, who also asked to be identified by only one name.
- The group said eyewitnesses had observed a “substantial convoy of tanks and heavy weaponry advancing” from the south toward Zalambessa.
- Ethiopia lost access to the sea when Eritrea became independent in 1993, and Abiy has spoken of the loss of the Eritrean port of Assab as a mistake “that will be corrected tomorrow.” Ethiopian officials often clarify that they seek access through peace and dialogue.
- It has become shorthand for a growing fear inside Ethiopia’s leadership that some of the actors who found themselves on opposing sides during the Tigray war may now be exploring areas of cooperation.
- Tigray is not in a position to wage war against the federal government For William Davison, founder of Ethiopia Insight and former senior Ethiopia analyst at the International Crisis Group, a similar logic is at work, saying the TPLF and Tigrayans found themselves “very isolated” during the 2020-2022 war.
- Addis Ababa’s letter described the entry of Eritrean forces deep into Ethiopian territory, by its account up to 60 kilometres, as a “blatant act of aggression”.
- Tensions in the Horn of Africa have escalated sharply after Eritrea severed diplomatic relations with Ethiopia, marking one of the most serious breakdowns between the two neighbours since their historic rapprochement in 2018.
- The latest clashes represent the most significant escalation since the end of Ethiopia's devastating 2020–2022 civil war.
- He said Ethiopia’s action would cause “huge devastation to the peoples of both countries and destabilise the whole region”.
- "This force is being struck by drones," he said, adding Eritrea was "deliberately deploying its forces so that the fighting takes place inside Tigray rather than spilling into Eritrea".
- What if refugees start flowing out of Eritrea and Ethiopia into Djibouti?