Eritrea asks UN to act over Ethiopia's 'declaration of war'

Asmara — Eritrea has asked the United Nations to take "deterrent measures" against Ethiopia, accusing its neighbour of declaring war, Africanews reports.

In a letter sent on Saturday, Eritrea's foreign minister, Osman Saleh, warned that Ethiopia's actions would cause "huge devastation to the peoples of both countries and destabilize the whole region".

Two versions

A day earlier, Ethiopia accused Eritrea of launching an "all-out invasion" and said Eritrean troops had advanced as far as 60 kilometres into its Tigray region.

Eritrea denies any incursion. It says the claim is part of Addis Ababa's plan to justify a "war of aggression".

Adigrat

On Saturday, residents of Adigrat, a Tigrayan city near the Eritrean border, said Ethiopian government forces and allied militia had entered. That followed reports that Eritrean troops had either been pushed back or had withdrawn from positions near the town.

"Children and the elderly are suffering from hunger. Sick people are dying due to a lack of medical treatment," said one resident, Hagos Woldegebriel.

Another, Teame Lemlem, who was displaced from Zalambessa in an earlier conflict, said: "Banks are closed, and the public is running out of food supplies."

How it reached this point

Tigrayan forces attacked federal troops last month. The Ethiopian army has since pushed them back and taken the regional capital, Mekelle. Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing the Tigrayan side.

The two countries fought a border war from 1998 to 2000. Relations improved after Abiy Ahmed became Ethiopia's prime minister in 2018, and Eritrean troops fought alongside his army in the Tigray war of 2020 to 2022. They have soured since.

Ethiopia, which has no coastline, insists it has a right to direct access to the sea. Eritrea reads that as a threat to seize its port at Assab.

This report is based on reporting by Africanews.