Eritrea stated on Wednesday that the international community must pressure Ethiopia to respect “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours” as tensions between the two Horn of Africa countries increase.
In 2018, the two nations, fierce enemies since Ethiopia gained its independence in 1993, agreed to a peace agreement.
Relations did, however, worsen once further after the 2020–2022 Tigray war, in which Eritrea repelled Ethiopia against the Tigrayan army.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has infuriated Eritrea by claiming that it is interested in the port of Assab and wants landlocked Ethiopia to have access to the sea.
“Eritrea is perplexed by Ethiopia’s misguided and outdated ambitions for maritime access and naval bases ‘through diplomacy or military force’,” Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said, echoing remarks made by the foreign minister to international diplomats.
He called on the international community “to pressure Ethiopia to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours” in a post published on X late Tuesday.
Additionally, he referred to Eritrea’s purported “war preparations against Ethiopia” as “false accusations.”
AFP asked Ethiopian officials for comment, but they did not reply.
According to a February report by the nongovernmental organisation Human Rights Concern Eritrea (HRCE), Asmara had mandated “a nationwide military mobilisation” for all residents under 60. AFP was unable to independently verify the information.
Convoys carrying weapons were reportedly making their way to northern Afar, an area of Ethiopia that borders Eritrea, last week, according to a security source who asked to remain anonymous.
“A war between Ethiopia and Eritrea could break out at any moment,” stated General Tsadkan Gebretensae, a strategist for the troops in Tigray, which is adjacent to Eritrea.
At least 600,000 people were killed in one of the bloodiest wars in recent memory, and the area has been the site of clashes between two factions of Tigray’s ruling party for several weeks.
