"Stop Backing Armed Groups": Ethiopian FM Warns Eritrea

Ethiopia has formally accused Eritrea of direct military aggression and covert support to armed groups inside Ethiopian territory, signaling a sharp escalation in a relationship that has deteriorated since the 2022 end of the Tigray war.

A letter from Addis Ababa frames the dispute as both a border security crisis and a test of restraint in a region already facing renewed mobilization and strategic competition over Red Sea access.

Border Control and Territorial Integrity

In a letter dated February 7 seen by Reuters, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos accused Eritrean forces of occupying Ethiopian territory along parts of their shared border “for an extended period.”

The letter, addressed to Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, said Eritrea had also provided material support to militant groups operating inside Ethiopia.

The incursion of Eritrean troops further into Ethiopian territory... are not just provocations but acts of outright aggression.

Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos

The letter calls for an immediate withdrawal and an end to cooperation with armed groups.

An Eritrean government spokesperson said officials were checking whether the letter had been delivered.

Proxy Warfare and Escalation Signals

Gedion warned that recent developments pointed to “further escalation,” citing joint military maneuvers between Eritrean forces and Ethiopian armed groups near the northwestern border.

The accusation marks a shift from diplomatic sparring to claims of proxy warfare, reviving memories of the 1998-2000 war between the two states.

Although Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a peace deal in 2018 and later aligned during Ethiopia’s two-year conflict with Tigray authorities, Eritrea was not a party to the 2022 agreement that ended the Tigray war, a gap that has since widened mistrust.

Tigray Fallout and Mobilization Risks

Recent clashes between Tigrayan forces and Ethiopian troops have heightened concerns of renewed conflict spilling across borders while Reuters had previously reported that Ethiopia and Eritrea were on the brink of war, with Tigray officials warning of imminent conflict, nationwide mobilization ordered in Eritrea, and Ethiopian troops deployed toward the Eritrean border.

Red Sea Access as Strategic Driver

The dispute is further sharpened by Ethiopia’s push for maritime access. Eritrea has bristled at repeated public declarations by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that landlocked Ethiopia has a right to sea access, comments widely interpreted in Asmara as an implicit threat.

Gedion’s letter sought to lower the temperature by stating Ethiopia remained open to dialogue if Eritrea respected its territorial integrity, adding Addis Ababa was willing to negotiate “in good faith” on mutual interests, including maritime affairs and access to the Red Sea through Eritrea’s port of Assab.

The comments illustrate how strategic doctrine, population pressure, and geography are converging to redefine Ethiopia’s security calculus, even as officials maintain a formal openness to talks.