High on wins in Tigray, Ethiopia now has Eritrea in its crosshairs - Responsible Statecraft

Open this photo in gallery:Members of Ethiopian Federal Police patrol as they resume operations after federal forces pushed back the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front in Mekelle on Oct. 9. Ethiopia alleges Eritrea is supporting TPLF, which launched a rebellion last month in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray.-/AFP/Getty ImagesAfter weeks of clashes and military advances by both sides, a full-scale war between Ethiopia and Eritrea is looming as an increasingly dangerous possibility, triggering fears of another crisis in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopian troops, backed by tanks and heavy weapons, have rapidly approached the Eritrean border in recent days, while Eritrea reportedly sent thousands of its own soldiers across the border into northern Ethiopia. Both sides have expelled each other’s diplomats and severed relations, accusing each other of plotting war. U. S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio became the latest diplomat to plead for peace this week. In a phone call with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, he cited the “heightened tensions” and urged all countries to “avoid cross-border incursions.” The region cannot tolerate more conflict, he told Mr.

(Document circulated to UNSC Member States on 13 October yesterday in response to “Ethiopia’s Note on Current Developments” of 11 October 2026) Over the past three years, the Government of Ethiopia has sustained and progressively intensified its unprovoked war agenda against Eritrea under the rubric of acquiring “Sovereign access to the sea, through negotiations if possible and force if necessary”, in violation of the UN Charter and the 2018 Peace and Friendship Agreement between the two countries. Ethiopia’s acts of aggression and destabilization include the pronounced establishment of a Naval Force with jurisdiction over and strategic depth in Eritrea’s southern coastal region.

Eritrea denies troop movement inside northern Ethiopia as US calls for de-escalation. Ethiopian forces and allied fighters say they have expanded control across Tigray and entered the historic city of Aksum, as fighting in the northern region continues. The pro-government militia, the Tigray Peace Force (TPF), also claimed on Thursday that troops from neighbouring Eritrea have retreated towards the border. Solomon Hailemariam, spokesperson for the TPF, said Eritrean forces had sustained significant casualties during the fighting. But Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel rejected the claims as false in comments to local media. The extent of the reported losses could not be independently verified. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), an independent conflict-monitoring organisation, documented Ethiopian government forces and TPF fighters entering Aksum, while rival Tigrayan fighters remained in surrounding mountainous areas. ACLED also reported Eritrean troops withdrawing across the border through Zalambessa, following advances by Ethiopian forces and their allies into several strategic towns.

Ethiopia has experienced recurrent conflicts for over five decades. This includes a long-running civil war sparked by the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974, renewed fighting in Tigray, and ongoing conflicts in Amhara and Oromia. The renewed hostilities in Tigray threaten to undo a peace process that had begun with an agreement signed in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2022.