Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of military preparations against it

Wednesday 08 October 2025 - 10:00

By: Sahili Aya

Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of military preparations against it

Ethiopia has accused Eritrea and a faction of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) of supporting armed groups and preparing for war, according to a letter sent to the United Nations. The document, obtained by AFP, claims that Asmara and the TPLF are “actively preparing for a war against Ethiopia.”

In the letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleges that Eritrea and “an extremist faction of the TPLF” are financing and directing armed groups, particularly in the Amhara region, where federal forces have been battling rebels for several years.

“The collusion between the Eritrean government and the TPLF has become increasingly clear in recent months,” Addis Ababa said, describing Eritrea as the “main instigator of these harmful activities” aimed at destabilizing and fragmenting Ethiopia. Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Ghebremeskel and TPLF representatives did not immediately respond to AFP’s requests for comment.

Relations between the two Horn of Africa neighbors have long been volatile. Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a decades-long armed struggle, followed by a bloody border war between 1998 and 2000.

After years of hostility, ties briefly improved in 2018 with the rise of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Eritrean troops later supported Ethiopian forces during the devastating Tigray conflict between 2020 and 2022. However, since the war’s end, tensions have resurfaced, with Asmara accusing Addis Ababa of seeking access to the Red Sea through the Eritrean port of Assab.