Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of invasion amid renewed escalation in Tigray
Ethiopia has told the United Nations that Eritrean forces invaded its territory and said it had no choice but to defend itself. Eritrea rejected accusations of aggression without publicly confirming whether its troops were in Ethiopia.
In a letter addressed to members of the UN Security Council, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos alleged that Eritrean units had advanced as far as 60 km into the country. Addis Ababa said the move came amid fighting in northern regions and a recent break in diplomatic relations with Asmara.
Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said Ethiopia had been pursuing an unprovoked campaign of aggression against his country for more than three years. He also accused Addis Ababa of seeking control of the Eritrean port of Assab to restore access to the Red Sea. Ethiopia lost direct access to the coast after Eritrea became independent in 1993, but says it intends to pursue sea access peacefully.
Reuters reported eyewitness accounts of Eritrean soldiers in northern Ethiopia. The Associated Press also reported claims by residents and a commander aligned with the Ethiopian government that Eritrean forces had entered border towns, while noting it could not independently verify those accounts. Conflict monitor ACLED reported that Eritrean troops crossed the border and that drone strikes were attributed to Ethiopia’s military.
Reuters, citing ACLED, said strikes targeted Eritrean forces withdrawing from positions near Adigrat, about 30 km from the border. A resident of the town told Reuters that several explosions had been heard outside it. Ethiopian Airlines said it would resume flights to the regional capital, Mekelle, on October 11.
Eritrea denies supporting the rebel alliance that has fought federal forces in Tigray, Amhara and Afar since September 23. The latest escalation follows a 2018 peace agreement and the 2020–2022 civil war in Tigray, during which Eritrean forces fought alongside Ethiopia’s federal government. The sides continue to trade accusations, while independent confirmation of the alleged incursion and the scale of the fighting remains limited.
