Tensions in the eastern region of Africa continue to escalate as Ethiopia mobilizes troops to patrol its border town near neighbouring Eritrea.
- Ethiopia has mobilized troops to patrol a border town near Eritrea, raising concerns of renewed conflict between the two countries.
- Recent escalations follow the involvement of Eritrean soldiers and increased military activity in previously Tigrayan-controlled areas.
- Diplomatic relations have deteriorated, with both nations expelling diplomats and accusing each other of hostile actions and war declarations.
- The fragile peace agreement between Ethiopia's government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) from 2022 is under threat as fighting has resumed, and alliances against the current Ethiopian government are forming.
The recent development marks the latest show of aggression between the two countries in what could lead to a repeat of the 1998 conflict.
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While the initial center of this debacle featured the Ethiopian army combating the Tigray rebel group, the last few days have seen Eritrea roped into the conflict.
As presently constituted, sources close to the incident disclosed that the Ethiopian government has sent its army to a border town between the two countries, previously controlled by Tigrayan rebels, forcing diplomats to secure a solution that averts war.
Last week, a similar report showed that a unit wearing Eritrean military uniform entered Zalambessa, the northernmost point of Ethiopia.
However, as seen on Reuters, there is no official confirmation that the Eritrean troops are still present in the town.
Eritrea has so far refuted any incursion into Ethiopia, requesting that the United Nations implement deterrent measures against the country.
It maintains that accusations from Addis Ababa regarding an invasion by Eritrean forces constitute a "declaration of war".
Recent tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia
Earlier this month, reports showed that Eritrea severed diplomatic relations with Ethiopia after Addis Ababa shut its embassy in Asmara and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats out of the country.
At the time, Ethiopia announced that it was shutting down Eritrea’s embassy, accusing its neighbour of engaging in hostile activities.
The country gave Eritrean diplomats 48 hours to leave.
The diplomatic fallout followed reports of explosions in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital and the headquarters of the African Union.
A source associated with an Ethiopian opposition coalition claimed responsibility for drone attacks in the city, including an attempted strike on military headquarters.
However, the reported attacks and the intended targets have yet to be independently verified.
A few days later, Eritrean soldiers were spotted in the Northern region of Ethiopia, the hotspot for the civil war that has plagued Ethiopia for years.
According to the UN, both countries engaged in a war in 1998 owing to a border disagreement
Recent fighting between Ethiopia and Tigray rebels
In 2022, Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) agreed to end a devastating two-year war, raising hopes for lasting peace in the country’s northern region.
Those hopes have since come under renewed pressure, with fighting reportedly resuming two weeks ago. Both sides have accused the other of breaching the peace agreement signed in 2022.
As tensions mounted, the TPLF took control of an airport in the Tigray region, prompting Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest carrier, to suspend flights to the facility.
The group also announced an alliance with six other armed organisations operating across Ethiopia, in a coalition seeking to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government from power.
The Tigray conflict erupted in November 2020, when a prolonged political standoff between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) spiralled into armed confrontation.
The fighting soon expanded beyond the two sides, drawing in Eritrean troops and forces from Ethiopia’s Amhara region. Clashes spread across Tigray and neighbouring territories, displacing millions of people and leaving many struggling to access food, healthcare and other essential services.
The roots of the war lay in political tensions that intensified after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018.
The TPLF, which had wielded considerable influence in Ethiopia’s national politics for decades, gradually lost ground as Abiy’s administration reshaped the country’s political landscape.