Eritrea asks UN Security Council for measures against Ethiopia

Eritrea has asked the UN Security Council to take deterrent measures against Ethiopia, setting out its request in an October 10 letter from Foreign Minister Osman Saleh.

Asmara rejects Addis Ababa's accusation that Eritrean troops invaded Tigray. Saleh describes the allegations as an attempt to justify aggression against his country and asks the Council to act under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

Ethiopia sent its own letter to the Council the previous day. Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos invoked the country's right to self-defence under Article 51 of the Charter. Addis Ababa alleges that Eritrean forces advanced as far as 60 kilometres into its territory.

Eritrea's appeal is a government request, rather than a Security Council decision. The countries dispute military involvement in Tigray amid renewed fighting and Ethiopia's demand for direct access to the Red Sea.