Latest news on the Eritrea and Ethiopia crisis – What did Asmara do today?

Asmara (Caasimada Online) – The Eritrean government on Saturday requested the United Nations Security Council to condemn what it described as a war declared by Ethiopia, while also taking measures to prevent an attack it claimed Addis Ababa is planning against its country, as tensions between the two nations continue to escalate.

The Eritrean Foreign Minister, Osman Saleh, in a letter sent to the Security Council on October 10 accused the Ethiopian government of preparing an assault against his country, while also attempting to justify that attack with claims related to the right to self-defense.

Saleh strongly denied Ethiopia's accusations that Eritrean forces had entered its territory, describing it as a pretext aimed at legitimizing a war against his country.

“Ethiopia's attempt to manipulate its actions of war against a sovereign state that is a member of the United Nations under the guise of ‘self-defense’ is baseless and a disgrace to the understanding of the international community,” Saleh stated in the letter.

The Minister called on the Security Council to firmly condemn what he referred to as the war declared by Ethiopia, and to take preventive measures in accordance with Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.

This chapter empowers the Security Council to impose sanctions and other measures to ensure international peace and security, including military actions if necessary.

The letter from Eritrea arrived a day after Ethiopia's Foreign Minister, Gedion Timothewos, submitted a document to the Security Council accusing Eritrea of launching a large-scale attack on northern Ethiopia.

Gedion stated that Eritrean forces, including units with armored vehicles, have entered the Tigray region, reaching areas within 60 kilometers of the border between the two countries.

“The large-scale attack that Eritrea has launched on parts of northern Ethiopia is a matter that is clearly known,” the Ethiopian letter stated, describing the attack as a violation that allows Addis Ababa to exercise its right to self-defense.

Ethiopia emphasized in its document Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which grants countries the right to defend themselves against armed attacks, but did not elaborate on the military steps it would take.

Eritrea, on its part, claimed that the Ethiopian government has been pursuing a hostile policy against its country for the past three years, insisting that the current accusations are part of an attempt to justify a previously planned attack.

The conflict in northern Ethiopia

The diplomatic tension has arisen as Ethiopian government forces and allied militias are advancing towards areas near the Eritrean border, following nearly three weeks of heavy fighting against a coalition of armed groups.

Three people in the city of Adigrat, approximately 30 kilometers from the Eritrean border, told the Reuters news agency that Ethiopian and allied forces entered the city on Saturday.

Reuters reported that it could not confirm whether government forces had fully taken control of Adigrat, where earlier reports indicated that Eritrean troops were operating.

The ACLED agency, which monitors global conflicts, stated that Eritrean forces crossed the border near the city of Zalambessa on Wednesday and then moved towards Adigrat and Idaga Hamus.

According to the agency, Ethiopian drones targeted positions held by Eritrean troops in those areas, causing them to retreat from locations near Adigrat.

Eritrea has denied that its forces have entered Ethiopia, describing the reports as accusations that Addis Ababa is using as a pretext for war.

The fighting also involves a coalition of seven armed groups, including the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which has stated that they aim to remove the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The coalition began attacks against government forces on September 23, leading to the fiercest battles in northern Ethiopia since the end of the civil war in the country in 2022.

The government forces and their allies retook the city of Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, earlier this month after the TPLF fighters left the area. However, fighting is still ongoing in other areas.

Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of providing military support to the armed coalition, but Asmara has denied these accusations.

The Dispute over Access to the Red Sea

In his letter to the Security Council, the Eritrean foreign minister linked Ethiopia's military activities to its long-standing desire for access to the Red Sea, accusing Addis Ababa of wanting to forcibly seize Eritrean territory.

Saleh stated that his government has repeatedly warned the international community about Ethiopia's rhetoric regarding access to a maritime route it claims sovereignty over, which Eritrea sees as a threat to its national integrity and territorial unity.

The minister also mentioned remarks he said were made on September 27 by the deputy chief of the Ethiopian military, General Abebaw Tadesse.

According to Saleh, General Abebaw described the capture of the port of Assab in Eritrea as the ultimate goal of the war, stating that Mekelle is a stepping stone for an assault on Eritrea.

These remarks attributed by the Eritrean minister to the Ethiopian official could not be independently verified.

Ethiopia became a landlocked country when Eritrea took its independence in 1993, and the government of Abiy Ahmed has repeatedly stated that access to a seaport is crucial for the country's economic development.

Abiy reiterated this position on Monday while delivering a speech to parliament after being sworn in for a new term.

“Based on the principle of mutual exchange, we will diligently work to ensure that Ethiopia obtains a route to the sea,” he said.

The Prime Minister insists that his government wants to secure access to the seaport through peaceful negotiations, but Eritrea has expressed concern over the remarks of Ethiopian leaders regarding the port of Assab, which is one of the strategic locations in the Red Sea.

The relationship between the two countries has deteriorated

The current tension has revived the historic conflict between the two nations, which saw a bloody war between 1998 and 2000, before they signed the Algiers peace agreement.

Their relationship significantly improved in 2018, when Abiy Ahmed and the President of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki, reached a peace agreement that ended nearly two decades of conflict and estrangement.

This agreement played a major role in Abiy Ahmed winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.

The two countries later fought on the same side in the Tigray war that lasted between 2020 and 2022, but their relationship deteriorated after the Pretoria agreement that ended that conflict.

In his letter, Saleh mentioned warnings issued by the United Nations and other countries in December 2025, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Algiers agreement, urging both countries to uphold peace and each other's sovereignty.

He accused the Ethiopian government of ignoring those calls, while also accusing it of incorporating its plans for an invasion of Eritrea into the ongoing conflict in northern Ethiopia.

Saleh ultimately warned that a new war between the two countries could cause widespread destruction affecting their peoples and could destabilize the overall stability of the Horn of Africa region.