Recent diplomatic developments have significantly heightened tensions between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea. Ethiopia’s government has formally accused Eritrea of military aggression, saying Eritrean troops have been present inside Ethiopian territory and supporting armed groups actions Addis Ababa calls violations of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a letter to Eritrea’s foreign minister, Ethiopia demanded an immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces and an end to collaboration with militias. Alongside these accusations, Ethiopia reiterated that it remains open to dialogue if Eritrea respects its borders. Eritrea has previously denied similar allegations and dismissed them as politically motivated.
This diplomatic friction follows years of uneasy relations: Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a brutal border war from 1998–2000, normalized ties around 2018, and later cooperated in regional conflicts but peace has frayed since the end of the Tigray war in 2022. The current tensions are further amplified by differences over maritime access and security concerns near their shared frontier.