Ethiopia Tells UN It Acts in Self-Defense Against Eritrea

Ethiopia told the UN Security Council on Friday it is taking measures in self-defense against Eritrea, accusing its neighbor of violating its sovereignty.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos described an alleged incursion as a blatant act of aggression that engages Ethiopia's inherent right to self-defence, invoking Article 51 of the UN Charter. Eritrea on Saturday asked the United Nations to take deterrent measures after what it described as Ethiopia's declaration of war. Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh rejected Ethiopia's accusations and called for the UN Security Council to forcefully condemn Ethiopia's deplorable declaration of war against Eritrea and invoke Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

Saleh stated Ethiopia's actions could cause huge devastation to the peoples of both countries and destabilize the whole region. Ethiopia accused Eritrea of sending troops across the border, advancing as far as 60km into Tigray, and supporting, financing, arming, and directing insurgent groups. Eritrea denied the incursions, calling them a pretext for an Addis Ababa offensive.

The diplomatic spat comes as fighting intensifies in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region. Ethiopian troops and allied armed groups have advanced across Tigray. People in Adigrat, near the Eritrean border, reported Ethiopian government forces and their militia allies entered the city on Saturday. The two neighbors, who fought a border war from 1998 to 2000, were allies during Ethiopia's 2020-2022 Tigray war.

They have since been at loggerheads over the 2022 peace agreement that ended the civil war between the government and Tigray rebels, and over Ethiopia's demands for Red Sea access. UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed grave concern about renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia and reports of Eritrean forces' presence. He urged all parties to cease hostilities and return to dialogue under the Pretoria Agreement, which ended the civil war in Tigray.

Ethiopia, landlocked since Eritrea's independence in 1993, considers Red Sea access a national priority. Egypt has responded by joining Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia in a diplomatic alignment opposing unilateral changes to Red Sea governance.