Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of an “all-out invasion” in a letter to the UN Security Council, saying Eritrean troops have advanced up to 60 kilometres into its Tigray region. Eritrea rejects the claim and says Ethiopia is waging a war of aggression to seize a Red Sea port.
Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of an “all-out invasion” in a message to the United Nations Security Council, Al Jazeera reported, citing news agencies. Eritrea says it is the one under attack.
Ethiopia’s Letter
“The all-out invasion of parts of northern Ethiopia by Eritrea is a matter of public record,” wrote Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister, Gedion Timothewos.
“It is a blatant act of aggression that engages Ethiopia’s inherent right to self-defence.”
The letter, dated Thursday, October 8, was addressed to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. It said Eritrean troops had advanced up to 60 kilometres (37 miles) into the northern Tigray region, and demanded their withdrawal.
Eritrea’s Reply
Eritrea’s Minister of Information, Yemane Gebremeskel, rejected the claims.
“The Ethiopian regime has been pursuing, in effect, an unprovoked war of aggression against Eritrea for more than three years now,” he wrote on X.
He said landlocked Ethiopia had in effect declared war in 2023, when it stated that it would gain access to the sea. Citing statements by Ethiopian officials, he accused Addis Ababa of using the present conflict to take Assab, an Eritrean port on the Red Sea.
Eritrea also denies backing the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which is part of an alliance of seven armed groups that has been trying to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government since September.
On the Ground
Over the past week, Ethiopia’s army has pushed the TPLF back and taken the Tigrayan capital, Mekelle.
Witnesses told AFP that the rebels had also lost the cities of Shire and Adigrat. Eritrean troops were reportedly seen in Adigrat before Ethiopian drone strikes hit them, according to several witnesses.
Diplomatic Collapse
Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara last week and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave. Eritrea responded by severing ties.
A Difficult History
- 1993: Eritrea wins independence from Ethiopia, which loses its coastline
- 1998: the two fight a two-year border war
- 2018: relations improve when Abiy takes power
- 2020–2022: Eritrea fights alongside Ethiopia against the TPLF
Eritrea was not part of the peace deal that ended that war, and relations soured soon afterwards.
Abiy has repeatedly said that Ethiopia has a right to sea access. Eritrea sees that as a threat to Assab.
Image: Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos (right) with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, June 2026. Photo by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
