Ethiopia Tells UN It Must Defend Itself Against Eritrea's 'All-Out Invasion' of Tigray

Ethiopia has formally accused neighbouring Eritrea of an "all-out invasion" of its northern Tigray region and told members of the UN Security Council that it has no choice but to defend itself, sharply raising the risk of open war between two countries that fought a bloody border conflict a generation ago.

The accusation is contained in a letter from Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos, dated Thursday and seen by both Reuters and AFP on Friday. It is the Ethiopian government's first official statement on the reported incursions this week.

What Ethiopia is alleging

According to the letter, Eritrean forces have advanced as far as 60 km (about 37 miles) into Tigray. The foreign minister described the deployment as a blatant act of aggression that triggers Ethiopia's inherent right to self-defence under international law, and called for the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops. The letter was addressed to France's foreign minister, whose country holds a seat on the Security Council, and copies were sent to other council members.

Eritrea has not denied that its soldiers crossed the border. Its information minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, had earlier dismissed reports of an incursion as part of an Ethiopian plan to justify a war against his country, and did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new letter.

Fighting on the ground

The conflict monitor ACLED reported that Eritrean troops crossed near the border town of Zalambessa and moved toward the road linking Adigrat and Idaga Hamus. Drone strikes, believed to have been carried out by Ethiopia's military, hit Eritrean forces and vehicles around Adigrat on Wednesday and Thursday. A resident of the town reported hearing repeated explosions overnight and into Friday morning.

The escalation comes on top of an internal war. Since September 23, Ethiopian federal forces have been fighting a rebel alliance across Tigray, Amhara and Afar. Addis Ababa accuses Eritrea of backing those rebels, which Asmara denies. The two governments severed diplomatic relations last week.

A relationship that has turned again

Eritrea, once an Ethiopian province, became independent in 1993, and the two countries fought a full-scale war between 1998 and 2000. A 2018 peace deal earned Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the Nobel Peace Prize, and Eritrean forces later fought alongside Ethiopia's army during the 2020-2022 Tigray war. Ties soured towards the end of that conflict.

At the heart of the current tension is the Red Sea. Abiy has repeatedly described sea access as vital to landlocked Ethiopia's security and economy, which Eritrea reads as a threat to its coastline. Abiy says Ethiopia intends to secure that access peacefully.

Why it matters beyond the region

A wider war in the Horn of Africa would add to instability around the southern Red Sea, already disrupted by Houthi attacks and the conflict involving Iran, with knock-on effects for shipping routes between Asia and Europe that carry a significant share of India's trade. Sudan's three-year civil war next door has already drawn in outside powers, and observers fear a new front could pull in more.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.