Nairobi: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Ethiopia and Eritrea to reduce tensions and respect each other's sovereignty as renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia raises fears of a wider conflict in the Horn of Africa.
Rubio spoke by phone with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on October 14 and called for dialogue under the 2018 peace agreement between the two countries. The US State Department said the region could not tolerate further conflict and stressed the importance of respecting neighbouring countries' territorial integrity.
The diplomatic intervention comes as Ethiopian government forces and allied fighters continue to advance across parts of the Tigray region. The fighting has raised concerns about a possible confrontation between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which have exchanged accusations over military movements near their shared border.
Ethiopian forces and allied fighters entered the historic city of Aksum, according to conflict monitoring reports published on October 15. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, known as ACLED, documented their entry into the city, while rival Tigrayan fighters remained in surrounding mountainous areas.
The developments followed advances by Ethiopian government forces into several strategic towns. Federal forces and their allies also took control of Zalambessa and Fatsi near the Eritrean border earlier in October.
ACLED reported that Eritrean troops withdrew across the border through Zalambessa after Ethiopian forces advanced into the area. However, the broader military situation remains uncertain, and the reported withdrawal does not establish that tensions along the entire border have ended.
Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of sending troops across the border and occupying parts of its territory. Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos raised the allegations with the United Nations Security Council and said his country had the right to defend itself.
Eritrea has rejected the accusations and accused Ethiopia of threatening its sovereignty. Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh urged the Security Council to condemn what he described as a declaration of war by Ethiopia.
The two countries have also disputed claims about military casualties. The Tigray Peace Force, a militia allied with the Ethiopian federal government, claimed Eritrean troops suffered significant losses during the recent fighting. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel rejected the claims as false. The extent of the reported casualties has not been independently verified.
The renewed fighting began on September 23, when a rebel alliance led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front launched an offensive against Ethiopian federal forces. The conflict has since resulted in major changes in territorial control across Tigray.
Ethiopian government forces and allied fighters regained control of Mekelle, the regional capital, on October 4. The Tigray People's Liberation Front acknowledged its withdrawal from the city and said the regional administration would temporarily relocate.
The conflict threatens the Pretoria Agreement, signed in November 2022, which ended the devastating war between Ethiopia's federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front. The earlier conflict, fought from 2020 to 2022, caused widespread destruction, displacement and severe humanitarian suffering.
Eritrean forces fought alongside Ethiopian government troops during that war. Relations between the two countries improved in 2018 after years of hostility, but disagreements over regional security and Ethiopia's pursuit of access to the Red Sea have contributed to renewed tensions.
Ethiopia became landlocked when Eritrea gained independence in 1993. Access to Red Sea ports remains an important strategic and economic issue for Ethiopia, although this does not establish the cause of the current military operations.
The renewed fighting has also raised concerns about the safety of civilians in Tigray. Human Rights Watch has reported civilian deaths and injuries linked to shelling in southern Tigray. The organisation also reported that some health facilities had closed because of the fighting. Responsibility for the shelling has not been independently established.
Residents in areas near the Eritrean border have described difficult living conditions, including disruptions to electricity and water supplies. The extent of these problems varies by location, and the full humanitarian impact remains unclear.
The United Nations announced an emergency allocation of $8.5 million on October 14 to address humanitarian needs in northern Ethiopia. The funding is intended to assist more than 202,700 people across several regions, including Tigray, Amhara, Afar and Benishangul Gumuz.
The UN has called for an immediate end to the hostilities and urged the parties to return to dialogue. It has also expressed concern about reports of Eritrean forces in Ethiopia, while the competing allegations by the two governments remain unresolved.
The United States has warned that further escalation could threaten stability across the Horn of Africa. However, no new ceasefire or agreement to withdraw forces has been established in the developments reported so far.
Diplomatic efforts now face the challenge of preventing renewed fighting in Tigray from developing into a wider conflict between the neighbouring countries. The situation remains fluid, with military movements continuing and the possibility of further escalation still a concern.