Africa10 October, 20262 min read
Eritrea Accuses Ethiopia Of Declaring War, Urges UN Security Council Deterrent Action
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Eritrea accuses Ethiopia of declaring war and seeks UN Security Council deterrence. Ethiopia allegedly planning invasion to seize a sea outlet, Eritrea warns.
5 outlets told this the same way.
War claims in Tigray
Eritrea accused Ethiopia of declaring war and asked the UN Security Council to take deterrent measures, saying Addis Ababa’s accusations of a “full-scale invasion” amount to a “declaration of war.” Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh told the Security Council that Ethiopian claims of Eritrean forces on Ethiopian soil are part of a plan to justify a war of aggression, and he urged UN intervention under Chapter VII of the Charter. Ethiopia’s Amhara-backed Peacekeeping forces said they would continue advancing until regaining full control of the region, and the counteroffensive included the seizure of several cities and the forced removal of the temporary government.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged an immediate halt to fighting in the Tigray, Afar, and Amhara regions and a return to dialogue based on the Pretoria Peace Agreement signed in 2022. Guterres warned of the risks posed by military escalation to regional stability and expressed concern over reports of Eritrean forces inside Ethiopian territory.
Diplomacy and competing letters
Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry said it called on the UN Security Council to condemn what it described as Ethiopia’s “declaration of war” and to take deterrent measures under Chapter VII, warning of repercussions for security and regional stability. Eritrea’s letter to the Security Council stated that Ethiopia is taking steps to begin an aggression against Eritrea, and it accused Addis Ababa of seeking to “violate its sovereignty and territorial integrity in order to gain a sea port by force.” Reuters reported that a letter reviewed today showed Eritrea asked the Security Council to take firm action against Ethiopia, and the letter said Addis Ababa’s accusations amount to a “declaration of war.”
Reuters also cited an Ethiopian government source saying Addis Ababa sent a letter to the Security Council requesting the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces from Ethiopian territory. Al Jazeera’s Addis Ababa bureau chief Mohamed Taha Tokkel said Colonel Makria spoke at a press conference about pulling heavy weapons and armored vehicles from the Tigray front to the Eritrean border.
Escalation fears and regional risk
Eritrea warned that Ethiopia’s actions could lead to “massive destruction inflicted on the peoples of both countries, as well as destabilizing the entire region,” and it urged the Security Council to strongly condemn Ethiopia’s declaration of war. Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry said Ethiopia incorporated a long-prepared plan to invade Eritrea into a wide military assault launched in northern Ethiopia, and it cited September remarks attributed to Ethiopian Deputy Chief of General Staff Abiywa Tadisi. Eritrea’s letter also argued that Ethiopia’s misleading attempts to justify warlike acts under the pretext of self-defense “lack any factual basis and show utter disregard for the minds of the international community.”
Reuters reported that residents in Adigrat, a city near the Eritrean border, said Ethiopian government forces and allied militias entered the city days after Eritrean forces withdrew, while Reuters could not confirm whether the army controls Adigrat. Al-Jazirah Net said the Pretoria arrangements that ended the previous war could break down, and the current clashes could evolve into a broader regional conflict in the Horn of Africa.