Eritrea and Ethiopia: Accusations of Declaring War

Eritrea called on the UN Security Council today to condemn Ethiopia’s “declaration of war” against it, warning that such actions would destabilize the region.

Yesterday, Ethiopia accused Eritrea of committing a “blatant act of aggression” and stated it was compelled to exercise “legitimate self-defense,” according to a letter sent by Ethiopian authorities to the Security Council. In its own letter to the Council, Asmara urged the adoption of “appropriate deterrent measures” against Addis Ababa.

Three residents of Adigrat, a town near the border with Eritrea, Ethiopia’s neighbor in the Horn of Africa, said that Ethiopian government forces and allied militias entered the city today, days after Eritrean forces had been pushed back from the strategic town.

In a letter to members of the UN Security Council this week, Ethiopia claimed that Eritrean troops had penetrated up to 60 kilometers into the Tigray region (in the north) in recent days, warning that the presence of foreign forces left it no choice but to defend itself.

Eritrea denied the reports of Eritrean incursions as false, describing them as part of an Ethiopian plan to justify launching a war against it.