Eritrea Denies Ethiopia’s Border Claims Amid Tension

Eritrea has strongly rejected accusations from Ethiopia that its troops have crossed into Ethiopian territory, dismissing the claims as “false” and politically motivated. The response follows a letter sent on Saturday by Ethiopia’s foreign minister to his Eritrean counterpart, demanding the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean soldiers.

In the letter, Ethiopia accused Eritrea of “outright aggression”, alleging that Eritrean forces were operating inside Ethiopia, carrying out joint military exercises with rebel groups in the north and supplying them with weapons. Eritrea countered that the claims were part of a “spiral of hostile campaigns against Eritrea for more than two years”, warning that such accusations risk further inflaming tensions.

Relations between the two Horn of Africa neighbours have long been fraught. Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia three decades ago, but unresolved border issues led to a brutal war between 1998 and 2000 that claimed more than 100,000 lives. Although relations thawed in 2018 after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited Asmara, a move that later earned him the Nobel Peace Prize recent developments suggest the rapprochement is unraveling.

Ethiopia’s foreign minister, Gedion Timothewos, said in his letter that “developments over the last few days indicate that the Government of Eritrea has chosen the path of further escalation”. He accused Eritrean forces of deeper incursions along Ethiopia’s north-eastern border and of collaborating with rebel groups in the north-west, describing these actions as “not just provocations but acts of outright aggression.”

One major point of friction is Ethiopia’s push for access to the sea, a sensitive issue for the landlocked country. Abiy has previously described the loss of a coastline following Eritrea’s independence as a “mistake” and an existential challenge for Ethiopia. In his letter, the foreign minister suggested that talks could begin including discussions on “the issue of access to the sea through the port of Assab” if Eritrean troops withdrew.

Eritrea’s information ministry firmly rejected the accusations, calling them “patently false and fabricated accusations… astounding in its tone and substance, underlying motivation, and overarching objective.” The ministry added: “As underlined before, the Government of Eritrea has no appetite for, or desire to, engage in meaningless acrimony to add fuel and exacerbate the situation.”

Tensions have worsened in recent weeks. Abiy said last week that Eritrean troops had massacred civilians in the historic Ethiopian city of Aksum during the 2020–2022 Tigray conflict allegations Eritrea has repeatedly denied since reports of mass killings emerged in November 2020.

Ethiopia now accuses Eritrea of backing Tigrayan rebel groups opposed to the peace deal that ended the civil war. Last month, Ethiopian police claimed they intercepted thousands of rounds of ammunition allegedly sent by Eritrea to rebels. Eritrea dismissed the claim, accusing Ethiopia of “floating false flags to justify the war that it has been itching to unleash for two long years.”

With both sides trading sharp accusations, fears are growing that the fragile relationship between Ethiopia and Eritrea could slide once again toward open conflict.