Addis Ababa is demanding neighbouring Eritrea to “immediately withdraw its troops” from northeastern Ethiopia and prepare for talks on future relations.
Ethiopia and Eritrea were part of a federation before the latter seceded in the early 1990s after a war of independence lasting thirty years.
The two countries fought a devastating border war from 1998 to 2000 that claimed tens of thousands of lives.
They briefly fought as allies against rebels from Ethiopia’s Tigray region during the 2020-2022 conflict but relations soured over a subsequent peace accord, from which Eritrea felt excluded and betrayed.
Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmad recently acknowledged that Eritrean troops committed atrocities on Ethiopian civilians of Tigray during the two-year conflict.
In a letter addressed to Eritrea, the Ethiopian foreign affairs ministry accused Asmara of violating Ethiopia’s territorial integrity by stationing troops on its northeastern territory.
The spokesperson of the ministry, Nebiyat Getachew confirmed that foreign affairs minister Gedion Timotheos had signed the letter sent to his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh.
According to him, the letter accused the authorities in Asmara of turning a deaf ear to repeated calls from Addis Ababa about ending ”the prolonged occupation of Ethiopian territory” by Eritrean forces.
In recent months, Addis Ababa accused Asmara of backing insurgents on Ethiopian soil — allegations Eritrea denies.
“Developments over the last few days indicate that the Government of Eritrea has chosen the path of further escalation,” foreign minister Timothewos’s letter told his Eritrean counterpart.
He demanded that Asmara “withdraw its troops from Ethiopian territory and cease all forms of collaboration with rebel groups”.
Eritrea has not commented on the letter and the allegations as of press time.
MG/as/APA