Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of military aggression and backing rebels
Ethiopia’s foreign minister has accused neighbouring Eritrea of military aggression and interference, alleging that Eritrean forces are occupying Ethiopian territory and backing armed groups operating inside the country. The accusations mark a sharp escalation in tensions between the two Horn of Africa neighbours, whose relationship has deteriorated since the end of Ethiopia’s war in the northern Tigray region. Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a devastating border war between 1998 and 2000 before signing a landmark peace agreement in 2018. They later became allies during Ethiopia’s two-year conflict with Tigray authorities. However, Eritrea was not a signatory to the 2022 peace deal that ended the Tigray war, and relations have steadily worsened since then. In a letter dated Saturday, February 7, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos told his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh Mohammed that Eritrean troops had been stationed inside Ethiopian territory […]