Neighboring countries blame each other for starting the war amid heightened tensions and fears of a wider conflict.
Published on October 10, 2026
Eritrea has called on the United Nations to take “dissuasive measures” after what it called Ethiopia’s “declaration of war” in the conflict over the Tigray region.
Eritrea’s request comes a day after Addis Ababa, in a letter to the Security Council, accused Asmara of launching an “all-out invasion”, saying Eritrean troops had advanced up to 60 kilometers (37 miles) into Ethiopia’s Tigray.
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In a separate letter to the Council on Saturday, Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh said the alleged Eritrean incursion was part of an Ethiopian plan to justify an aggressive war and urged the UN to intervene, invoking Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which allows measures ranging from sanctions to military action.
Neighboring countries accuse each other of starting a war over Tigray, where Ethiopia says Eritrea supports the rebels.
An alliance of seven armed groups launched attacks on Ethiopian federal forces in the country’s northern region last month as they attempt to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government.
Eritrean forces have since reportedly intruded into Ethiopian territory, with Addis Ababa accusing Asmara of supporting the rebels of the Tigray Popular Front for the Liberation (TPLF).
The Ethiopian army this week pushed back TPLF rebels and captured the region’s capital, Mekelle. He also said he had launched drone strikes against Eritrean troops in the region.
“Eritrea calls on the UN Security Council to strongly condemn Ethiopia’s deplorable declaration of war against Eritrea… and to take necessary deterrent measures,” Eritrea’s Saleh said in the letter on Saturday.
He said Ethiopia’s action would cause “enormous damage to the people of both countries and destabilize the entire region.”
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos on Friday accused Eritrea of ”a blatant act of aggression that calls into question Ethiopia’s inherent right to self-defense.”
Timothewos invoked Ethiopia’s right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, but he did not specify what measures the country was taking.
Faisal Roble, specialist on the Horn of Africa, believes that the two parties are “preparing for the last phase of open conflict”.
“There is no doubt that the two countries are moving towards open conflict,” he told Al Jazeera from the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
“Whatever they write to the United Nations is just posturing and assurance that they have some sort of international support on their side,” the analyst added.
“Deceptive attempts”
In his letter, Saleh called Ethiopia’s actions “deceptive attempts to rationalize its brazen acts of war,” saying they were “empty of substance.”
Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel on Friday accused Ethiopia of continuing its aggression against Eritrea by demanding sovereign access to the Red Sea. Writing on X, he neither explicitly confirmed nor denied the reported troop crossings.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy reiterated on Monday that Ethiopia must have access to the Red Sea.
Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 and fought a deadly border war from 1998 to 2000.
Relations improved after Abiy came to power in 2018, but have deteriorated further in recent years.
Landlocked Ethiopia has repeatedly insisted on its right to direct access to the sea, which Eritrea interprets as a threat to invade and seize its port of Assab.
TPLF fighters fought Ethiopian government forces, then backed by Eritrea, in a devastating war from 2020 to 2022.
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