Eritrea has urged the United Nations Security Council to take deterrent measures against Ethiopia, describing Addis Ababa’s allegations of an Eritrean military incursion as a “declaration of war”.
In a letter seen by Reuters on Saturday, Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh called on the council to condemn Ethiopia’s accusations and intervene to prevent further escalation between the two neighbouring countries.
“Eritrea requests the UN Security Council to forcefully condemn Ethiopia’s deplorable declaration of war against Eritrea … and take the requisite deterrent measures against it in accordance with Chapter VII of the UN Charter,” Saleh wrote.
Chapter VII empowers the Security Council to impose measures ranging from economic sanctions to military action, although Saleh did not specify the action Eritrea wanted the council to take.
The diplomatic dispute follows Ethiopia’s claim that Eritrean troops advanced up to 60 kilometres into its northern Tigray region in recent days. Eritrea has denied the alleged incursion, which Reuters said it could not independently verify.
The accusations have heightened fears of renewed conflict along the countries’ shared border, where tensions have repeatedly erupted into fighting.
On Friday, Ethiopia told Security Council members that the presence of Eritrean troops on its territory left Addis Ababa with no option but to defend itself.
Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said on Friday that his country had exercised restraint. He also argued that Ethiopia’s 2023 declaration of its intention to secure sovereign access to the sea amounted to a declaration of war against Eritrea.
Landlocked Ethiopia lost its coastline when Eritrea gained independence in 1993. Addis Ababa considers access to the sea a strategic priority but says it intends to pursue the objective through peaceful dialogue.
Meanwhile, Ethiopian government forces and allied militia members entered the Tigrayan city of Adigrat on Saturday, three residents told Reuters. The city lies about 30 kilometres from the Eritrean border.
Their reported entry came days after Eritrean troops were said to have withdrawn from positions near the strategic city following drone strikes.
A video verified by Reuters showed members of a militia allied with Ethiopia’s government walking through Adigrat. Residents also reported seeing soldiers patrolling the streets alongside military vehicles.
Explosions were reported near the city on Wednesday and Thursday, while further blasts were heard on Friday, according to residents. The US-based conflict monitor ACLED said Ethiopian forces had used drones to strike Eritrean troops, prompting their withdrawal from positions near Adigrat.
Ethiopia has also accused Eritrea of supporting a rebel alliance fighting government forces in Tigray, Amhara and Afar since September 23. Eritrea has denied the allegation.
The latest tensions threaten to undermine relations between the two countries, which signed a peace agreement in 2018 after years of hostility. The agreement earned Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the Nobel Peace Prize.
Eritrea later supported Ethiopia’s federal government during the 2020–2022 civil war in Tigray, but relations deteriorated towards the end of the conflict.
The latest fighting, which began last month, marks the most significant escalation of violence since the Tigray war, in which hundreds of thousands of people died.
