Eritrea has called on the international community to exert pressure on Ethiopia. This is to ensure Ethiopia respects the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours.”
The statement came amidst escalating tensions between the two Horn of Africa nations.
Once fierce adversaries after Eritrea’s 1993 independence, they briefly reconciled with a 2018 peace agreement.
However, relations soured again following the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict. Eritrea had supported Ethiopia against Tigrayan forces during that war.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s aspirations for landlocked Ethiopia to secure sea access have further inflamed tensions.
Eritrea has specifically accused Ethiopia of having designs on the port of Assab.
Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel expressed Eritrea’s bewilderment at Ethiopia’s maritime ambitions.
He stated these ambitions were “misguided and outdated,” whether pursued “through diplomacy or military force.”
In a post on X, he urged international actors to “pressure Ethiopia to respect the sovereignty” of its neighbors.
Gebremeskel also dismissed allegations of Eritrean “preparations for war against Ethiopia” as unfounded.
Ethiopian authorities have yet to respond to requests for comment on the matter.
Concerns of potential conflict have been mounting in recent weeks. The NGO Human Rights Concern Eritrea (HRCE) claimed in February that Eritrea had ordered a nationwide military mobilization.
While AFP could not independently verify this, a security source reported weapon convoys moving towards Ethiopia’s Afar region bordering Eritrea.
General Tsadkan Gebretensae, a strategist for Tigrayan forces, warned that “a war between Ethiopia and Eritrea could break out at any moment.”
The Tigray region, sharing a long border with Eritrea, has already suffered immensely from recent conflict.